Amidst vast land, Namibia still imports 96% of fruits
Although Namibia has vast tracts of available arable land, the country continues to struggle with crop production, spending close to N$700 million on horticulture imports, mainly fruits and vegetables, every year.
Namibian Agronomic Board manager for horticulture development, Emilie Abraham, stressed that the crop subsector is underdeveloped and requires significant investment.
Abraham was speaking at an engagement with farmers in Ongwediva this week. She noted that Namibia is a vast country, covering 823 290 square kilometres, of which 388 100 kilometres (47%) are arable land.
Despite this, the country is struggling to feed its own people.
Demand
Abraham urged Namibian farmers to focus on crop production, saying that the Covid-19 pandemic should have been a wake-up call for all Namibians about the risks if other countries close their borders.
“We have a favourable climate, and Namibia is able to produce a variety of crops ranging from agronomic products such as white maize, wheat and pearl millet to horticultural products such as fruits and vegetables,” Abraham said.
She said exports of fruits and vegetables have grown, of which table grapes have been the largest contributor.
Nevertheless, “the country imports about 96% of its fruit per year to meet the domestic demand gap, and only four percent is produced locally. This translates into about N$270 million spent on fruit transportation,” she said, adding that in total, Namibia spends N$610 825 212 on imports per year.
Tonnes imported
Abraham said the country imported 7 320 tonnes of apples valued at over N$54.1 million last year, followed by bananas, with 4 693 tonnes imported, translating to over N$40.4 million.
This generated zero income locally, she pointed out.
“We are a net exporter of fruits due to the high production of table grapes that are targeted for export markets. However, we still have to address the issue of ensuring we invest more to meet the domestic market, which is only four percent. As it stands, this is not enough, and as a nation, we need to do more to improve our food security,” she said.
Abraham said Namibia has a stable political and economic environment and is encouraging local investors and “enthusiastic farmers” to invest in Namibia’s fruit value chain. in growing their local production to be able to assist the country to stop imports.
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Namibian Agronomic Board manager for horticulture development, Emilie Abraham, stressed that the crop subsector is underdeveloped and requires significant investment.
Abraham was speaking at an engagement with farmers in Ongwediva this week. She noted that Namibia is a vast country, covering 823 290 square kilometres, of which 388 100 kilometres (47%) are arable land.
Despite this, the country is struggling to feed its own people.
Demand
Abraham urged Namibian farmers to focus on crop production, saying that the Covid-19 pandemic should have been a wake-up call for all Namibians about the risks if other countries close their borders.
“We have a favourable climate, and Namibia is able to produce a variety of crops ranging from agronomic products such as white maize, wheat and pearl millet to horticultural products such as fruits and vegetables,” Abraham said.
She said exports of fruits and vegetables have grown, of which table grapes have been the largest contributor.
Nevertheless, “the country imports about 96% of its fruit per year to meet the domestic demand gap, and only four percent is produced locally. This translates into about N$270 million spent on fruit transportation,” she said, adding that in total, Namibia spends N$610 825 212 on imports per year.
Tonnes imported
Abraham said the country imported 7 320 tonnes of apples valued at over N$54.1 million last year, followed by bananas, with 4 693 tonnes imported, translating to over N$40.4 million.
This generated zero income locally, she pointed out.
“We are a net exporter of fruits due to the high production of table grapes that are targeted for export markets. However, we still have to address the issue of ensuring we invest more to meet the domestic market, which is only four percent. As it stands, this is not enough, and as a nation, we need to do more to improve our food security,” she said.
Abraham said Namibia has a stable political and economic environment and is encouraging local investors and “enthusiastic farmers” to invest in Namibia’s fruit value chain. in growing their local production to be able to assist the country to stop imports.
- [email protected]
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