Katima mulilo: The Namibian Correctional Services (NCS) has successfully produced and supplied food items valued at over N.dollars 66 million to its facilities across the nation over the past four years.

According to Namibia Press Agency, NCS's Deputy Commissioner General Sam Shaalulange shared this information during the handover ceremony of a new storage facility from the Namibia Industrial Development Agency (NIDA) to the Katima Mulilo Correctional Facility in the Zambezi region. Shaalulange highlighted that the storage facility will enhance NCS's strategy for achieving self-sufficiency in food production.

In the 2024/2025 financial year, NCS produced approximately 663.7 tons of maize valued at N. dollars 5 309 600 and 703.75 tons of wheat valued at N. dollars 5 630 000. Additionally, the facilities produced 100.4 tons of pork worth N. dollars 7 530 000 and 173.01 tons of vegetables valued at N. dollars 1 730 000. These outputs were sourced from all its rehabilitation facilities nationwide.

Shaalulange further explained that NCS mills wheat into bread flour and, with bakeries at all correctional facilities, supplies bread to inmates and police holding cells daily. Pork is supplied to all correctional facilities, while meat, chicken, and eggs are provided to the training college.

The Deputy Commissioner General emphasized that with adequate financial, material, and political support, NCS could expand production beyond the needs of inmates to benefit the entire country. Plans are underway to implement irrigation systems at the Katima Mulilo Correctional Facility and cultivate maize and wheat on 25 hectares. This initiative is expected to yield 1,000 tons of maize and 750 tons of wheat.

The anticipated harvest will require storage facilities for about 20,000 bags of 50 kilograms of maize grain and 15,000 bags of 50 kilograms of wheat grain. Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Industries, Mines and Energy, Natangue Ithete, officially handed over the storage facility at Katima Mulilo.