Namibia’s export earnings from fish and crustaceans, molluscs and other aquatic invertebrates rose to N$3.6 billion during the third quarter of 2024 compared to the N$3.4 billion recorded during the same period last year.
According to the Namibia Statistics Agency’s Agriculture and Fisheries indicator bulletin for Q3 2024, the growth comes despite a slight decline in the total quota species landed, which amounted to 76,347 metric tonnes—2.8% lower than the 78,509 metric tonnes recorded in Q3 2023.
“Export earnings for fish and crustaceans, molluscs, and other aquatic invertebrates for the third quarter of 2024 was valued at N$3.6 billion, an increase when compared to N$3.4 billion recorded in the corresponding quarter of 2023,” the report read.
The report stated that hake led the landings with 41,678 metric tonnes, followed by horse mackerel with 31,366 metric tonnes and monk with 2,333 metric tonnes.
These species contributed significantly to the country’s export performance, with Spain emerging as the top destination for Namibia’s aquatic exports, accounting for 40% of total export value. Frozen hake fillets were the primary product shipped to Spain.
Other key export destinations included Zambia, which accounted for 18.7% of exports, primarily importing horse mackerel, and South Africa, which took 7.8%, with frozen hake fillets being the dominant product.
“The second and third export destinations were Zambia (18.7%) and South Africa (7.8%). The main product that was exported to Zambia was horse mackerel. In addition, frozen fillets of hake were also the main products exported to South Africa,” the report stated.
On the import side, Namibia recorded an import bill of N$93.5 million for fish and crustaceans, molluscs and other aquatic invertebrates during Q3 2024. This represents a decline compared to the N$130.5 million recorded during the same period in 2023.
South Africa remained the leading supplier, accounting for 57.1% of imports, with hake being the main product sourced.
The United States followed with 14.7%, supplying Sole, while Argentina ranked third with a 10.7% share, also contributing hake imports.
