NAB, EU collaborate to raise awareness to boost Namibian fruit farming

NAMIBIA – The Namibia Agronomic Board (NAB) has launched a series of awareness sessions to promote investment in fruit farming and exports by Namibian farmers, in collaboration with the European Union-Namibia Economic Partnership Agreement (EU-EPA) programme.

NAB spokesperson Emily Abraham highlighted the goals of these sessions, stating, “The objectives are promoting the fruit value chain and exploring investment and export opportunities in the Namibian fruit sector.”

This initiative aims to enhance the competitiveness of Namibian fruits in the European market by offering technical assistance, training, and capacity building.

“We have joined hands with the EU-EPA to co-fund these sessions and so far a total of around NAD 100,000 (USD 5483.4) has been used, with each partner contributing 50% of the total cost,” Abraham said.

The EU provides technical assistance and capacity building to help Namibian producers meet market standards and improve their production capabilities.

One of the key motivations behind this initiative is the high import rate of fruits consumed in Namibia. “96% of all fruit consumed in Namibia is imported mainly from South Africa. This initiative seeks to reduce that to around 50%, similar to horticultural crops,” Abraham explained.

By encouraging local production, Namibia can reduce its reliance on imports and promote self-sufficiency.

The NAB aims to promote the production of fruits that are widely consumed and traded in large quantities in Namibia, including apples, grapes, blueberries, bananas, citrus, mangoes, avocados, and pawpaws.

The EU is a significant market for Namibian fruit exports such as grapes, dates, and blueberries, and the initiative aims to expand this range through the NAB’s fruit development scheme.

Namibia benefits from trade agreements with the EU, such as the Economic Partnership Agreement (EPA) between the EU and the Southern African Development Community (SADC), which provides preferential access to the EU market. These agreements are crucial in promoting Namibian fruits on an international level.

The awareness campaign will focus on capacity building for fruit farmers by identifying their needs and challenges.

“Small, emerging, and established commercial fruit farmers, as well as any other interested fruit value chain actors, are welcome to participate in these awareness session events,” Abraham noted.

So far, sessions have been held in Gobabis, where attendance was high, and farmers showed great interest in the programme.

The campaign will continue in other regions, including Omuthiya, Ongwediva, Nkurenkuru, and Kongola.

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