Amutenya reaps what she sows
An initiative undertaken by Giesela Nangula Amutenya (66) eight years ago is starting to pay dividends.
The orange trees she planted at Oshiku-Shomuhete village at Oshikuku in the Omusati region have started producing the food of choice.
Amutenya, the proud owner of 11 orange and 24 mango trees at her house, has become a source of inspiration for her peers and has attracted many people from the Omusati region.
“Discovering the potential of the fruit trees, which is a moneyspinner now, I started exploring orange cultivation in a commercial way,” she disclosed to New Era.
After gathering the basics,
Amutenya ventured into the commercial cultivation of oranges on a small scale at her house, and today she is a topic of discussion among many farmers in the Omusati region.
She said with many farmers venturing into vegetable cultivation, the economy of Omusati has significantly improved.
Amutenya supplies oranges to Oshakati’s Spar outlets weekly.
The use the money she gets from the sale of oranges to support her grandchildren, who are attending school.
“Although I am a pensioner, the money I get monthly is still not enough to support my extended family,” she said.
She sometimes sells her oranges to local schools, hospitals and cuca shops, and on a good day she will
go home with more than N$300.
Apart from selling oranges, she also sells mangoes when they are in season. Amutenya thus urged unemployed youth to stop complaining and to rather create work for themselves.
“I grew up in a world where one
needed to support oneself. But these days I am hearing young people complaining about government not giving them jobs,’’ she stressed.
She said with the little she gets from the fruits of her labour, she manages to make a decent income for herself and her family.
“I am the only one with orange trees in my village, and many are now interested in growing oranges,” Amutenya continued.
I feel happy to assist them through the little experience I gathered over all these years,” she says.