Greening the Namibian Desert: An African Success Story

This case study examines the development of the Namibian table grape industry, initiated by entrepreneur Dusan Vasiljevic in 1988. It details how the industry leveraged Namibia's coastal climate to fill a seasonal gap in the European market, the role of government negotiations for EU market access, and the subsequent economic impact on the Karas and South Central regions.

• Dusan Vasiljevic established the Namibian table grape industry in 1988 by identifying that the country's mild coastal climate allowed for production in November and December, a period when European grapes are vulnerable to frost.
• The industry faced significant early challenges, including a lack of infrastructure, difficulty securing loans from commercial banks, and the failure of initial irrigation pumps at the Aussenkehr farm.
• Market access to the European Union was achieved through the Fourth Lomé Convention (1992-2000), which provided preferential access for certain African, Caribbean and Pacific (ACP) states. Namibia eventually secured a specific tariff reduction of 2.5% for grapes exceeding the 800 tonne quota, effective January 2002, meaning Namibia pays 8% duty compared to 11.5% for other countries.
• The table grape sector has seen substantial growth, with production increasing from 1,000 tonnes in 1991 to over 12,000 tonnes in 2003, with an export value of approximately N$180 million ($29 million).
• The industry has become a major employer in the impoverished Karas Region, creating roughly 3,500 permanent jobs and 7,000 part-time harvesting positions.
• Expansion has occurred beyond the Karas region to the Hardap irrigation scheme in the South Central region, where approximately 12 farmers use the 'Kalahari Table Grapes' brand and shared packing facilities to reduce costs.
• Namibia lacks its own certification body for EU quality standards, requiring exporters to pay the South African government’s Perishable Products Exports Control Board (PPECB) for inspections to achieve EurepGAP certification.
• Entry into the US market has been blocked for eight years due to the inability to meet quarantine conditions and execute the Pest Risk Assessment (PRA) required by the USDA's Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS).

APA

South African Institute of International Affairs (2008). Greening the Namibian Desert: An African Success Story. https://saiia.org.za/research/greening-the-namibian-desert-an-african-success-story/

Chicago

South African Institute of International Affairs. Greening the Namibian Desert: An African Success Story. 2008. https://saiia.org.za/research/greening-the-namibian-desert-an-african-success-story/.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=South African Institute of International Affairs |title=Greening the Namibian Desert: An African Success Story |date=25 April 2008 |url=https://saiia.org.za/research/greening-the-namibian-desert-an-african-success-story/ |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{southafricaninstituteofinternationalaffairs2008greening, author = {{South African Institute of International Affairs}}, title = {{Greening the Namibian Desert: An African Success Story}}, institution = {South African Institute of International Affairs}, year = {2008}, month = apr, url = {https://saiia.org.za/research/greening-the-namibian-desert-an-african-success-story/}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }