Staff Reporter
Namibia still relies heavily on imports to meet a significant share of the country’s food requirements, with nearly all fruit consumed domestically imported during 2025/2026, while more than half of the maize, wheat and pearl millet requirements were also met through imports during the same period.
This was revealed by Deputy Minister of Agriculture Ruthy Masake, who spoke on behalf of Agriculture Minister Inge Zaamwani during the 2026 National Agronomy and Horticulture Awards (NAHA). The event recently took place in Gobabis, Omaheke Region, under the theme “Enhancing Resilience in Agriculture through Crop Farming”.
Masake revealed that during the 2025/2026 season, about 64% of Namibia’s maize, 87% of wheat and 64% of pearl millet requirements were imported, while about 46% of vegetables and 96% of fruit consumed domestically were imported.
“Potatoes, our largest horticultural product by consumption, also remain heavily import-dependent. These figures demonstrate vulnerability, but they also reveal a substantial domestic market opportunity,” she continued.
Masake said increasing domestic production should therefore be viewed not only as a food security priority but also as an economic imperative. She emphasised that achieving food self-security would require sustained investment, innovation, discipline and partnerships.
“Every product we can competitively produce locally represents an opportunity for investment, employment, value addition and income retained within our economy. Food security is therefore not only about food availability. It is about productive capacity, resilient supply chains, reduced foreign-exchange exposure, industrial development and, ultimately, economic sovereignty,” Masake added.
Photo: Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries, Water & Land Reform
