Windhoek: Namibia's agricultural sector operates in a challenging environment despite being key to the country's economic growth, Minister of Agriculture Inge Zaamwani has said.

According to Namibia Press Agency, in a speech read on her behalf at the National Agronomy and Horticulture Awards ceremony in Gobabis on Thursday, Zaamwani highlighted that Namibia is among the driest countries in Africa, posing a challenge to farmers and producers. "Our farmers continue to contend with erratic rainfall patterns, recurrent droughts, water scarcity, rising production costs, pest pressures and the increasingly evident impact of climate change," she stated.

Despite these challenges, producers persist in preserving the sector by investing and adapting. Zaamwani remarked, "Their resilience is a powerful reminder that agriculture in Namibia is a strategic economic sector with enough potential to contribute to national prosperity and sustainable development."

While considerable progress has been made in the sector, Namibia still relies heavily on imports to meet a significant share of its food requirements. "In the 2025/26 season, approximately 64% of our maize, 87% of our wheat and 64% of our pearl millet requirements were imported. In horticulture, approximately 46% of vegetables and 96% of fruit consumed domestically are imported," she noted, adding that potatoes, the country's largest horticultural product by consumption, also remain heavily import-dependent.

Zaamwani emphasized that these figures demonstrate vulnerability, yet they also reveal a substantial domestic market opportunity. "For this reason, increasing domestic production is both a food security priority and an economic imperative. Every product we can competitively produce locally represents an opportunity for investment, employment, value addition and income retained within our economy," she explained.

The event, themed 'Enhancing Resilience in Agriculture through Crop Farming,' aimed to recognize and reward key value chain players who have made outstanding contributions to the growth of Namibia's agronomy and horticulture industries. Martin Ihemba earned the title of best small-scale horticulture farmer, with Paulus Muhepa named as runner-up. Chipalanga David Tuhafeni received the best young agronomist award, while Bokomo was recognized as the premier grain processor and Gold Maze was named best emerging grain processor. The Agro Marketing Trade Agency took top honours as best agronomy service provider.