B2Gold’s Erhardtshof farm achieved a significant milestone, producing approximately 1,100 tonnes of white maize during the 2023-2024 season.
The gold miner said the entire yield was delivered to Namib Mills at Otavi in Otjozondjupa Region.
B2Gold Namibia Country Manager, John Roos, highlighted the farm’s contribution to food sustainability and financial stability through corporate social responsibility initiatives.
B2Gold has undertaken the Erhardtshof Agriculture Project at the Otjikoto Gold Mine in Namibia over the past four years.
“We’ve got about 12 workers from the Otavi community. Our farmer is doing exceptionally well in training them and teaching them about crop production. We’re very excited about that,” said Roos.
Farm Erhardtshof, originally purchased to develop the mine, has been engaged in intensive agricultural production with the support of an agricultural specialist and Namib Mills.
“The farm’s first harvest in 2021 yielded 12.87 tonnes of maize per hectare and 220 bales of Katambora Rhodes grass, an animal feed known for its tolerance to warm temperatures and saline soils,” said B2Gold.
The farm aims to establish 90 hectares under pivot irrigation, a method where crops are watered with sprinklers rotating around a pivot.
The company believes this technique will allow Farm Erhardtshof to produce 1,000 tonnes of maize and 700 tonnes of wheat annually, significantly contributing to Namibian food security.
B2Gold says successful approaches are expected to benefit surrounding communities and integrate into the post-closure plans for the mine site.
The Canadian gold miner B2Gold early last year announced a phased closure of its Otjikoto Mine due to limited gold deposits in its open pit mine, which cannot sustain its operations beyond the approved Life of Mine of nine years beginning this year.
The miner said the phased downscaling of operations is scheduled to commence during the first quarter of 2024.
