Barley project grows

A total of 377 hectares of barley have been planted last year, with 1 426 tons of barley harvested and of this 1 250 tons were of good quality. Namibia Breweries Limited (NBL) has during 2016 alone, invested N$6.5 million in the barley project, following extensive trials which commenced in 2010.This is according to the 2016 barley harvest report which was presented at an information session by NBL regarding the background, trials and successes of the barley project to date.The home-grown barley project was brought to life by NBL – a subsidiary of the Ohlthaver & List (O&L) Group – in partnership with the Ministry of Agriculture, Water and Forestry and government's Agricultural Business Development Agency (AgriBusDev) six years ago. “Through this project, we are striving to create jobs and support government's Harambee Prosperity Plan, Growth at Home Strategy and Vision 2030. Apart from creating more value locally, NBL also aims to establish a sustainable barley industry ten years from now. Achieving these goals means that we have impacted on people's lives in a very meaningful way,” said NBL managing director, Wessie van der Westhuizen.He said that unemployment is a national issue that affects every Namibian and it is only in a unified spirit of camaraderie and working together that it could potentially reverse the challenge of poverty. Van der Westhuizen further added that NBL is well on its way to making history, leading the way in breakthrough thinking, and that ultimately the goal is to secure NBL's source of supply, and reduce reliance on importing raw materials from elsewhere in the world. “We would like to establish a sustainable barley industry by further implementing the barley industry development plan over the next ten years. When viable we will install a malting plant, which means we could use the home-grown barley for our other beer brands as well and thereby increase local value-addition.”He said that barley is a high-in-demand raw material that is not only used in beer but many other products as well. He added that NBL is committed to creating value locally that would lead to more jobs and also a sustainable home-grown barley industry.Van der Westhuizen said following the successful trials which established that barley can be grown locally, further research and development ensued to develop a brand to take up the un-malted barley, as Namibia does not have malting facilities, and all existing NBL brands make use of malted barley. This saw the birth of King Lager in November 2015, described by consumers as “crispy, refreshing and easy to drink”. Agriculture minister John Mutorwa emphasised the importance of public-private partnership (PPPs), and stressed that the home-grown barley project is a perfect example of what can come from PPPs. “Today's event is a concrete and visible demonstration of PPPs.” He said partnership is recognised as a major pre-requisite for the achievement of dynamic, efficient and sustainable development in the country. “Namibia's future will also depend largely on the people themselves – much will depend on our ability and willingness to respond with innovation and commitment to the new challenges.” STAFF REPORTER

Barley project grows

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Namibian Sun 2025-07-07

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Barley project grows

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Namibian Sun 2025-07-07

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