Nearly all the fruit consumed in Namibia comes from outside the country, showing the extent to which the country depends on imports to feed its population.
About 96% of fruit consumed domestically is imported, deputy minister of agriculture, fisheries, water and land reform Ruthy Masake says.
She was speaking at the National Agronomy and Horticulture Awards 2026 last week.
Meanwhile, about 46% of vegetables consumed locally came from imports.
During the 2025/26 season, the country also imported about 87% of its wheat, and 64% of its maize and pearl millet.
Potatoes also remain heavily dependent on imports.
Masake said the figures show weaknesses in Namibia’s ability to produce enough food domestically.
“In horticulture, approximately 46% of vegetables and 96% of fruit consumed domestically are imported. Potatoes, our largest horticultural product by consumption, also remain heavily import-dependent,” she said.
For consumers, this means a significant share of the food found on supermarket shelves depends on production outside Namibia, rather than of local farms.
The government wants to reduce that dependence by increasing domestic agricultural production under the sixth National Development Plan.
The plan focuses on increasing horticultural production, expanding commercial crop farming and bringing more productive land into large-scale agricultural production.
Masake said increasing local production could also keep more money inside the Namibian economy by creating opportunities for farmers, processors and other businesses along the agricultural value chain.
“Every product we can competitively produce locally represents an opportunity for investment, employment, value addition and income retained within our economy,” she said.
However, increasing food production in Namibia comes with major challenges. Farmers continue to face unreliable rainfall, drought, water shortages, rising production costs, pests and the effects of climate change.
The government says reducing food imports will therefore require investment not only in farming, but also in irrigation, agricultural research, technology, logistics, processing and market access.
Masake said Namibia needs to move beyond predominantly subsistence and primary production towards a more productive, commercial and technology-driven agricultural sector.
