Wheat production covers just 11% of demand

In 2020/21, Namibia needed nearly 119 000 tonnes of wheat but produced just over 12 000 tonnes locally. More than 106 000 tonnes had to be sourced through imports.The figures, contained in the Namibian Agronomic Board’s (NAB) crop value chain development strategy 2025/26–2029/30, show the scale of the country’s wheat production gap that the five-year strategy seeks to address.The figures are not from a new assessment. They form part of the historical baseline used by NAB to develop its current strategy.At the time, local production met only about 11% of Namibia’s wheat requirements, leaving 89% of domestic demand to imports.The 2020/21 output nevertheless represented a significant recovery from the previous season, when Namibia produced only 4 466 tonnes against imports of 114 363 tonnes. The low output has been linked to drought.Output recommendations Wheat production in Namibia is entirely dependent on irrigation, making reliable water supplies and suitable production infrastructure critical to expanding local output.NAB has earmarked about N$250 million for the implementation of the strategy, requiring approximately N$50 million annually from the crop development fund. It also plans to seek technical and financial support from partners equivalent to at least 5% of the total budget.The strategy also targets increased production across controlled agronomic and horticultural crops, with NAB aiming to raise local commercial production from a baseline of 200 000 tonnes to 300 000 tonnes by 2029/30.Proposed interventions include improving access to quality seed and fertiliser, promoting local production of improved and certified seed, and transferring technologies for irrigation, planting, weeding, harvesting and threshing.The strategy also identifies production finance, storage, processing and marketing as areas requiring attention across the crop value chain.phillipus@nmh-hub.com.na

Wheat production covers just 11% of demand

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Namibian Sun 2026-09-30

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Wheat production covers just 11% of demand

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Namibian Sun 2026-09-30

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