The Namibia Grape Company at Aussenkehr in the ||Kharas Region has exported more than 2 million boxes of grapes to the European market over the last season.

The company's MD, Gideon Nuunyango, revealed this during the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Natural Resources oversight visit to the project.

According to Nuunyango, the company packed 2,2 million grapes during last year's harvest, with each box weighing 4.5 kilograms, exceeding the targeted total of 1,8 million cartons.

Namibia Grape Company is wholly owned by the National Youth Service and entered into a 10-year management and marketing agreement with a South African company, Capespan.

Renewed for a five-year term in 2017, the agreement was again renewed this year and expires in 2028.

The company exports 90% of its products to the European market, while the remaining 5% is supplied locally.

Committee members asked Nuunyango to elaborate more on the partnership deal.

"They take a commission from every box they market, just like any other agent, and if they gave us money extra, I mean if we were short on production, they gave us that, and there is a finance cost there; it's like our bank now."

Nuunyango highlighted the market price, exchange rate, and high input costs aggravated by the Russian-Ukrainian war as some of the challenges.

"EPL is coming if the exploration is approved, and part of that farm is in that EPL, so it's a little bit of a challenge if the mines, the dust, and the grapes are something that would not work together, so it's either you have a mine and grapes completely gone."

The Chairperson of the Standing Committee on Natural Resources, Vincent Mareka, was pleased with the briefing given by the NGC MD.

"A lot of negatives, but plusses. So far, really, for myself—I do not know about the other members—I am really satisfied with the information that we have gotten. You have also indicated the challenges you face, but really, this is the information one wants to have. Maybe when we go on site now, the last portion of our visit, we will see for ourselves that what you have been telling us is true."

NGC employs about 247 permanent workers and close to 2,000 seasonal workers during peak harvest seasons.

The company also produces raisins from the grapes, which it exports to neighboring South Africa.