Musese expects a corn harvest of 4,000 tons – Business

Harvesting at the Musese green project in the Kavango West region has begun, and Winni Metzger, who runs the project privately, says she expects to harvest 4 000 tonnes of maize.

Metzger, who is also a professional driller, says the harvest started about two weeks ago and will last 14 days.
Planting began in November last year.

A huge combine harvester, valued at around N$8 million, is used to harvest Musese’s 15 maize fields.

Metzger says the harvest has also attracted 20 to 30 of his employees, who gather in the fields any honeycombs that the combine may have missed.

After the harvest, he says he would put about 700 head of cattle in the fields to feed on the harvested corn stalks.

In total, Musese has about 103 full-time employees.

Metzger also expressed satisfaction with the high water levels of the Okavango River, ensuring the green project receives enough water.

He says rainfall has been insufficient in the region, but thanks to good rainfall in southern Angola, the river has received enough water.

Musese has nine small farmers, whose corn fields are being irrigated due to late planting, Metzger says.

In an effort to produce more food, in recent years the plan has adopted applying lime clay and finer materials to fields.

Metzger says food security and shared prosperity can only be achieved by adding nutrients to the soil so it produces more.

The clay soil is quarried from a site next to one of the green scheme fields near the Okavango River.

It is then spread over the dry fields, after which the fields are watered so that the clay mixes well with the trampled corn stalks, cattle urine and manure.

Metzger recommends that all ecological projects do the same to improve food production in the country.

Opened in 1977, Musese also hires about 200 temporary employees to help with other activities.

The main objective of establishing ecological plans in Namibia is to achieve food security and educate future generations about sustainable agriculture.