LEAF NEWS
Namibia/China
A Chinese company, Namibia Oriental Tobacco, has applied for 10,000 hectares in the Zambezi region for tobacco and maize production.
Last month, regional coordinator Armas Amukwiyu told The Namibian newspaper that he spent a good number of years in China looking for potential investors for the project. Amukwiyu said he has been at the helm of the project that was supposed to have started last year. A letter seen by The Namibian addressed to the company from the environment ministry shows that the project still needs to receive authorization for clearing of a state forest and water abstraction from the Ministry of Agriculture, Water, and Forestry.
“The environmental assessment impact and environment management plan submitted are sufficient as they make provision for the environmental management concerning the proposed activities,” the letter read. It further said regular environment monitoring and evaluations on environmental performance should be conducted on site.
The ministry also attached legislative and regulatory conditions which should be followed during the operational phase of the project. The environmental clearance certificate is valid for a period of three years from date of issue, which in this case is December 19, 2014, unless withdrawn by the ministry.
The environmental impact assessment submitted by Namibia Oriental Tobacco states that the primary purpose of the farm will be tobacco production, although maize will also be planted on a rotational basis in order to prevent or minimise the occurrence of tobacco related pests and diseases.
The company justified the project’s production by stating that from 1995 to 1997 trials in tobacco production in Namibia’s Omaheke, Oshikoto, Otjozondjupa, Okavango (East and West), and Omusati regions were conducted and they showed that tobacco could be a very profitable option. The project justification also said tobacco produced in Namibia can successfully fill the market niche created by the reduced production of tobacco in Zimbabwe.