B2Gold Namibia has begun harvesting its 2024/2025 maize crop at farm Erhardshof, located adjacent to its Otjikoto Gold Mine, with the company forecasting a yield of nearly 2,000 tonnes of white maize from its irrigation scheme, exceeding its 2023/2024 output.
“Yesterday, 3 June 2025, we started harvesting our 2024/2025 maize crop in Namibia at our B2Gold Otjikoto Mine, yet again beating expectations. We forecast to harvest close to 2,000 tonnes of white maize off our irrigation scheme. Well done to the team on the ground,” B2Gold Namibia’s Country Manager and Director, John Roos, said.
Roos credited the success to B2Gold’s focus on long-term sustainability.
“Yes, we mine gold, but thinking toward the future is most important – solving for food insecurity in Namibia,” he said.
The maize is grown at Farm Erhardtshof, a property originally acquired to support the development of the Otjikoto mine. Over the past four years, B2Gold has converted the farm into a productive agricultural venture as part of its broader sustainability initiatives.
During the 2023/2024 season, Farm Erhardtshof produced approximately 1,100 tonnes of white maize.
According to the gold miner, 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 resilience in warm and saline conditions. This maize yield has continued to improve since then.
The company says the project is designed not only to support local food production but also to form part of its long-term post-closure land use strategy.
The initiative forms part of the company’s wider commitment to addressing food security in Namibia through sustainable, locally driven solutions.