The Agro-Marketing and Trade Agency (AMTA) says Namibia’s current National Strategic Food Reserve (NSFR) capacity of 22,900 metric tonnes remains inadequate to sustain the country during extended emergencies.
AMTA’s Acting Manager for Marketing and Corporate Communications, Parsval Elijah, said the agency is advocating for an expansion of silo and storage infrastructure to ensure national food security in the event of import disruptions.
“Because our storage facilities are not yet at the capacity required to sustain the country during a crisis such as what we saw during COVID, if a prolonged situation were to occur and we were unable to import food, Namibia would face the risk of widespread shortages,” she said.
She said AMTA is conducting a feasibility study for a new distribution centre in the Zambezi Region, which has high horticultural production potential, as part of efforts to boost national storage and distribution capacity.
Elijah added that although local production has increased, limited resources prevent AMTA from purchasing all available produce from farmers. She said market flooding — where many farmers grow the same crops simultaneously — creates supply inconsistencies while pushing prices down.
To address wastage, particularly of tomatoes, cabbages and other perishables, Elijah said AMTA has intensified value-addition efforts. Since July, the agency has developed new product prototypes including tomato paste, tomato sauce, tomato jam and Kalahari melon jam sourced from smallholder farmers. Indigenous products such as mango juice and marula items are also being considered for commercial rollout.
“We’ve introduced a value-addition initiative, and several product prototypes have already been identified. Since the beginning of July, the Agro-Marketing and Trade Agency has been showcasing these prototypes to stakeholders, customers and farmers,” she said.
Elijah said AMTA also operates a milling facility at Katuta Settlement in Kavango West, producing locally milled white maize meal and mahangu flour to support sustainability and maintain grain quality. The initiative forms part of a broader strategy to process raw agricultural goods into finished products for wider markets.
She noted that Fresh Produce Business Hubs in Windhoek, Rundu and Ongwediva remain central to supporting farmers by acting as collection points, cold-storage facilities and trading centres.
The agency has shifted from previously only purchasing produce when ready markets existed, to directly buying from farmers while taking responsibility for securing downstream buyers.
“This led to the establishment of a milling facility at Katuta Settlement in Kavango West, where the grain purchased from our farmers is milled and sold as finished products, such as white maize meal and mahangu flour. In terms of the National Strategic Food Reserves, we operate three such centres countrywide,” she said.
Elijah said further investment in infrastructure and operational capacity remains crucial to ensuring Namibia can withstand future food supply disruptions.
