Namibia imports 95% of fruits

Namibia imports about 95% of its fruits, valued at N$200 million a year, to meet the gap in domestic demand.

This is according to a baseline study that formed part of various research projects that the Namibian Agronomic Board (NAB) conducted during the 2022–2023 financial year.

The study found that Namibia currently produces fresh fruits that include grapes, oranges, dates, mangoes and lemons.

"The fruit industry is faced with numerous challenges such as the unavailability of quality and improved fruit tree seedlings, high input costs, pest outbreaks and a lack of tailor-made and affordable finance," the study found.

Processed foods

The NAB also conducted a horticulture agro-processing study.

The results revealed that over 9 000 tonnes of agro-processed products valued at approximately N$162 million are produced in Namibia annually. This includes tomato sauce, chilled vegetables and juice, and excludes exports.

The NAB said Namibia imports an average of 54 570 tonnes of agro-processed products annually at an estimated average value of over N$1.5 billion.

Products include mainly juice, frozen vegetables, frozen potato chips, jams, olive oil, spices and other forms of dried vegetables.

South Africa accounts for over 97% of most of the agro-processed products imported by Namibia.

"Access to raw materials was identified as one of the biggest challenges," the NAB study found.

Testing varieties

Furthermore, in line with the NAB/Unam seed research project, white maize, wheat, pearl millet, and sesame seed research trials were conducted to identify high-yielding varieties in different production zones of Namibia.

According to NAB, the results of the trials were positive, as most varieties performed better than the local and commercial checks in terms of yield.

This is an ongoing research activity, so second or third trials will still be done this financial year.

Quality control

To date, the agronomic board has developed and published 16 crop-specific marketing and commercial quality control standards for horticultural products in collaboration with the Namibian Standards Institution, of which standards for berry fruits, citrus fruits, lettuce and watermelons were developed and published during the 2022-2023 financial year.

The agronomic board said crop-specific marketing and commercial quality control standards are key instruments for the crop industry and the regulator in that they specify the minimum requirements for the commercial classification and grading of these products, including quality and food safety parameters that are necessary to enhance the quality of the produce both locally and imported.

In addition, they provide a tool for accessing markets, increasing competitiveness and levelling the playing field.

The overall compliance rate for controlled agronomic and horticultural products for the financial year is recorded at 94% in terms of industry adherence to regulatory measures being implemented for the control of imports, exports, and transits, as well as food safety and quality requirements.