WINDHOEK – Namibia’s current national food reserves stand at 18 900 tonnes, which is 28 percent of the targeted 67 000 tonnes – a worrisome situation taking into consideration the continuous dry spells experienced in many parts of the country this rainy season.
Grain purchased last season only used up 68 percent of the current storage capacity.
The Operations Manager for the National Strategic Food Reserve, Wilhelmina Handunge, last week revealed that last season, 12 805 tonnes – 12 381t is maize and 486.34t mahangu – have been procured and stored at different storage facilities in the country.
The largest Katima Mulilo silos currently hold 5 055 tonnes of stock. Their average storage capacity is 7 400 tonnes.
Asked if there is a possibility that Namibia would start importing food soon, Handunge said, “On the issue of import[ing], the crop assessment team is still busy in the field assessing the situation. Only after the assessment report would one be able to tell whether to import or not and yet that has to be decided by the Directorate of Disaster Risk Management under the Office of the Prime Minister.”
Meanwhile, the Agricultural Marketing and Trading Agency’s Managing Director, Lungameni Lucas, says they have set up a “Think Tank” team consisting of key technical staff, who meet every three months “to touch base, to monitor and evaluate our progress as per our strategic plan”. Its other objectives include familiarising itself with agricultural projects around the country.
The team met early last month in Katima Mulilo, Zambezi Region. During the Zambezi Region tour, the team visited the Kalimbeza Rice Project and the Katima Mulilo silos.