Desert Botanical, Marine and Fruit Processing Plants for Namibia

Namibia is an arid country in south-western Africa, with the Namib Desert along the Atlantic coast and the Kalahari Desert in the south-east. Devil's claw is native to the Kalahari and has been harvested and used as a traditional remedy for centuries; many rural women living in the Kalahari know where it grows and harvest it for sale, and slices of the tuber are dried. The country's arid ecosystems also host other plant species used traditionally for medicinal or cultural purposes. Drying and herbal extraction are the routes a processor would consider for these botanicals, depending on the ingredient wanted.

Two Atlantic ports serve the fishing industry: Walvis Bay includes a fishing harbour, and Lüderitz serves fishing too. Fish trimmings and processing residues are the raw material for fish oil and meal recovery. In horticulture, table grapes are among the exports and the Orange River is one of the main production areas, yet the Namibian Agronomic Board describes agro-processing as still at an early stage, with only a small share of production going into it. Surplus and grade-out fruit are therefore a raw material that is largely unprocessed.

Walvis Bay's main transport arteries are the Trans-Kalahari, Trans-Cunene and Walvis Bay-Ndola-Lubumbashi trade corridors, and road distances to inland sites can be long. Typical users are harvesting cooperatives, botanical exporters, fish processors and fruit growers who need robust plants and a clear plan for transporting heavy equipment.