Staff Reporter
Windhoek, September 23 – A heartening collaboration between a mother residing in Kavango and her son in Windhoek has claimed the top prize at the esteemed ‘Namibia Value Addition Competition.’ Demol Mbanga Matali, the son, has recently embarked on the venture of crafting delectable jams from the Maguni fruit his mother delivers to Windhoek. “We cherish these fruits, but there are occasions when we fail to consume them in a timely manner, leading to spoilage,” he explains.
Demol emerged as the first-place winner, earning a substantial cash prize exceeding NAD 10,000 along with a surge of encouragement. He declared, “Now that I am aware of the product’s popularity, I intend to utilize the funds to promote our jam.”
The competition’s second-place accolade was bestowed upon Hanna Barbara Bergmann, who hails from Windhoek. Her winning entry, the ‘Decadent Chocolate Chip Vulcano Cupcake,’ is a culinary masterpiece crafted from sorghum flour. Additionally, Hanna Barbara specializes in the sale of fermented mahangu flour and employs these wholesome alternatives to wheat flour with inventive flair. She passionately emphasizes, “Mahangu offers a world of culinary possibilities beyond our imagination.”
Securing the third-place honor was Engelhardine Katjivikua, representing Gobabis, with her creation – Spekboom Chutney. She elucidates her motivation behind this flavorful concoction, saying, “We grew weary of witnessing an abundance of agricultural produce going to waste due to time constraints in selling. Now, we have the freedom to either sell this product or savour it in our village – the choice is ours.”
In recognition of their exceptional efforts, the second and third-place winners received substantial cash rewards of NAD 5,000 and 3,000, respectively.
This remarkable competition marked the culmination of an enlightening training week focused on sustainable horticulture, nutrition, and value addition, hosted by NAMCOL and facilitated by the GIZ Farming for Resilience (F4R) project.
