Omake Moment with the Namibia Trade Network

Empowering Agriculture: The Role of the Namibian Agronomic Board

Agriculture is the cornerstone of Namibia’s economy, providing employment to a significant portion of the population and contributing substantially to the nation’s GDP. To ensure the growth and sustainability of this vital sector, the Namibian Agronomic Board (NAB) plays a pivotal role, and its efforts have led to substantial growth in the agronomy and horticulture subsectors in Namibia.

Governed by the Agronomic Industry Act 20 of 1992, the NAB is entrusted with promoting the agronomic and horticultural industry and facilitating the production, processing, storage and marketing of controlled products in Namibia through market regulation. The NAB also assumes the responsibility of administering regulatory services aimed at overseeing border control at all entry and exit points in Namibia, product quality inspections and food safety monitoring. Additionally, as part of its mandate, the NAB is responsible for the development of marketing and commercial quality standards.

To date, a total of 16 crop-specific marketing and commercial quality standards have been developed. In terms of industry compliance, the regulatory framework stands at 94%, which suggests that there is a high rate of compliance with regulatory requirements by industry players. In a globalised world, facilitating the production of safe and quality food crops creates international market access to our Namibian products.

As the agronomic and horticultural industry’s regulatory body, the NAB plays a critical role in contributing towards food security. Hence, over the years, the NAB enacted policies aimed at stimulating local production such as the Grain Marketing Mechanism and Market Share Promotion (MSP) scheme to reduce Namibia’s reliance on the importation of agronomic and horticultural products. These mechanisms have contributed to the increase in horticultural production for the domestic market from a mere 5% in 2005 to 47% today, and in terms of agronomic production (grains) from 28% in 2010 to 38% today.

The NAB has invested in various efforts to stimulate local production and developing policies and regulations pertaining to the agronomic and horticultural industry. Furthermore, it has embarked on improved production and market facilitation activities aimed at driving socio-economic growth and improving the lives of Namibian citizens. The successful implementation of these activities has led to an increase in horticultural exports with 161%, an increase in horticultural production for the domestic market by 5%, as well as an increase of 11% in grain (white maize, wheat and pearl millet) production for the period between 2019 and 2023.

As part of its ongoing research agenda, the NAB conducts regular research throughout the crop value chain to meet market demands and facilitate informed decision-making and policy formulation, thereby supporting the development of Namibia’s emerging agriculture sector. Presently, the NAB is engaged in two major collaborative projects with the University of Namibia (UNAM) and Comptoir du Plant. The UNAM/NAB seed research project, currently in its third year, has yielded promising results, identifying high-yielding varieties for commercialisation, which includes white maize, wheat, pearl millet and sesame. Meanwhile, the NAB/ Comptoir du Plant project has tested six French potato varieties, with at least four of those outperforming varieties that are currently commonly grown in Namibia. This has prompted plans for the commercialisation and importation of these varieties to benefit both commercial and communal smallholder farmers. Detailed research reports are accessible on the NAB website, www.nab.com.na

In a world of evolving agricultural challenges and opportunities, the NAB remains committed to establish itself as a world-class regulator of a vibrant, diversified and sustainable crop industry.