RUNDU - CEO of the Namibia Agronomic Board (NAB) Dr Fidelis Mwazi has said in order to drive the development of the crop industry, Namibia needs to produce its own seeds.

Mwazi said this during the 2023 National Agronomy and Horticulture Awards ceremony, held at the Mashare Irrigation Project in the Kavango East region yesterday.

“We need to produce our own seeds locally that are adaptable and grow in our environment so that whatever we do is aligned with our climatic and soil condition,” he said.

Mwazi stated that NAB has started the process of producing local seeds by working with Unam to test a variety of seeds to choose seeds suitable for Namibia’s climate.

“It is still a journey because after doing the research we need to move to seed production, which requires a lot of resources and land. We will also contract some of the farmers to do that; hence, it will be done in the specifications as prescribed by the NAB,” Mwazi said.

Prof. Rhoda Birech, an agronomist at Unam, said 50% of the country’s maize and mahangu is imported, as is 60% of its potatoes and 90% of wheat.

The awards are held every year to recognise and award crop value chain actors, including producers, processors, traders, service providers and school gardens that have made significant contributions to the development of Namibia’s agronomy and horticultural industry over the last 12 months.

Awards were presented in various categories to the best performers who have demonstrated exceptional innovative approaches, good risk diversification, good labour relations and community involvement.

Categories included the agronomy awards for the best maize, mahangu and wheat producers of the year, as well as awards for horticulture, small-scale producers and exporters.

- Nampa