Namibia: Critical Food Shortage, Low Rainfall

On Monday, Namibia's Ministry of Agriculture, Water and Land Reform announced that the country is facing a critical food deficit, particularly in staple cereal crops such as maize and pearl millet.

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Deputy Minister of Agriculture, Water and Land Reform Anna Shiweda said in a statement that this deficit is expected to require substantial food imports to meet domestic demand.

"Looking at the Food Balance Sheet, the indications are that the country will experience a high food deficit, especially for staple cereal crops (maize, pearl millet), which will require coverage through food imports from outside the country," she said.

Namibia relies on neighboring Southern African Development Community (SADC) countries for cereal imports. Due to below-normal rainfall affecting cereal production in countries such as South Africa, Zimbabwe, and Zambia, however, alternative sources outside the SADC Region may need to be explored, Shiweda said.

"This means that we will have to import cereals from other sources outside the SADC Region. This, in turn, implies a high cost of the domestic food basket for local consumers," she added.

Shiweda emphasized the urgency of addressing this issue, calling for a reassessment of the nation's food production systems.

"This situation is yet another wake-up call for us as a country to relook at our food production systems and come up with innovative climate-smart strategies that will make the agriculture sector more responsive and resilient to the impact of climate change and climate variability," she said.

Namibia has experienced below-to-normal rainfall this year, coupled with sporadic and erratic rainfall patterns, significantly impacting the agriculture sector, which serves as the mainstay and lifeline for the livelihoods of 70 percent of the population.