Namibia To Have First Tomato Seed Production Project In Africa

Namibia is one step closer to becoming the first African country to produce and export tomato seeds to international markets, with a tomato hybrid seed production project commencing next January.

This was announced by Women's Action for Development (WAD) executive director Veronica de Klerk during a courtesy call on Prime Minister Dr Hage Geingob along with investors from Israel and The Netherlands, Namibia Press Agency (Nampa) reported.

The tomato seed production project was introduced to the Ministry of Agriculture, Water and Forestry (MAWF) two years ago.

"The project will be the first of its kind in Africa. MAWF has tested the seeds and certified them to be free of genetically-modified organisms (GMO)," De Klerk said.

The project is jointly supported by WAD, Israel's Technical Management Services Agricultural project (TMS-Agri) and Pupkewitz Holdings.

A pilot project will be set up at Aussenkehr in the Karas Region in early January, and includes the solicitation of 24 hectares of arable land and installation of equipment, irrigation systems and green houses.

The project will also see the production of watermelons, sweet melons, cucumbers and green peppers among other things.