Chamwe Kaira
SilverStreet Capital has completed its grape harvest at Aussenkehr in southern Namibia, employing a record 4 024 workers during the season.
SilverStreet Capital chief investment officer Gary Vaughan-Smith said in a social media post that about one-third of the company’s export containers have already reached European Union markets and the United Kingdom.
He said SilverStreet supplies all major supermarket chains in those regions.
Vaughan-Smith said logistics posed the main challenge during the season.
Strong winds in Cape Town delayed early vessel departures in November. To manage the disruption, the company adjusted its export routes and shipped through Walvis Bay, Port Elizabeth and Cape Town.
He added that the company does not export to the United States and has not been affected by tariffs.
SilverStreet acquired Silverlands Vineyards, made up of three neighbouring farm titles in the Aussenkehr area along the Orange River. The region is known for table grape and date palm production due to the timing of its harvest season.
Since the acquisition, the vineyard has expanded by 70% to 340 hectares under irrigation.
In 2020, the company planted its first six hectares of date palms and planned to expand date palm plantings to up to 60 hectares by 2022.
SilverStreet also owns another farm in Aussenkehr with packing and export facilities.
Once fully developed, total table grape plantings are expected to exceed 350 hectares, alongside a planned date palm development of about 275 hectares.
Date palm production remains limited in the Southern Hemisphere, with few regions suited to commercial cultivation.
The Aussenkehr area is also suitable for other high-value crops such as blueberries and seed vegetables, which the company is exploring.
Namibia’s grape export sector has shown strong growth. Exports increased by 16.7% year on year, from N$7.7 million in the final quarter of 2023 to N$1.29 billion in the final quarter of 2024.
Most grapes are grown in the Aussenkehr Valley along the Orange River. The performance of grape and date production is seen as a positive sign for intra-African trade.
Namibia ranks as the world’s 17th-largest exporter of table grapes. About 70% of production from the Aussenkehr Valley is shipped mainly to the Netherlands, the United Kingdom and Germany.
Around 33 000 metric tonnes of grapes are produced each year along the Orange River as it passes South Africa’s Richtersveld region.
The government says part of the export growth can be linked to improved logistics, including upgrades at the Port of Walvis Bay.
Caption
SilverStreet Capital completed its grape harvest at Aussenkehr in southern Namibia, employing a record 4 024 workers during the season.
- Photo: SilverStreet Capital
