On Friday, September 18,2020, ESWADE and Namboard hosted an event at Msahweni. The event was the Official Opening of Msahweni Pack House. A High Value Crop and Horticulture project sponsored by the EU.
Namboard communications officer Melusi Zox Dlamini confirmed the guest list, which included, Guests of Honor by the likes of Minister of Agric, Minister of Economic, EU Ambassodor, Chiefs, RA, Executives from both Swade & Namboard, the community and farmers.
The event kicked off at 9:30am, with ESWADE CEO as the master of ceremonies. Then followed short speeches from the relevant parties. By complying to the COVID19 regulations, the speeches were kept short and by noon, it the was officiation of the opening.
Three packhouses to the value of SZL26 million were erected at Lavumisa, Msahweni and Nhlangano. The purpose of this project is to prolong shelf life of food, preventing spoilage and waste. The European Union will add more equipment worth SZL4.5million.
The ministry of Agriculture formulated a 2013-2023 strategy that aims to transform the industry into a standard that is sustainable and export oriented, this was done with the assistance of Namboard and ESWADE.
In his speech the minister of Agriculture thanked these patastals by saying, “Allow me once again, Programme Director, to appreciate these two parastatals; NAMBoard and ESWADE, for their tireless efforts in working towards achieving a food secure nation. Today, we open Msahweni pack-house for farmers from around this area. They will be assisted by NAMBoard, and we will now rely on NAMBoard’s expertise to see to the upkeep of the facility. These pack houses will enable value addition on farmer produce and open up new markets for processed, ready-to-cook vegetables. As a Ministry, we want to encourage cohesive use of the pack house. We want to maximise the utilisation of it’s capacity. We will expect reports from NAMBoard that farmers are now doubling their profits because production and yields have increased. Statistics from NAMBoard should also reveal that more produce is now absorbed by the markets and new market opportunities are being exploited.”
After his speech several other speakers delivered, including the community representative who on behalf of Emsahweni community appreciated the opportunity.
When all speakers delivered, they moved to the main part of the event which was the official opening of the pack house.
