Namibia Agriculture and Fishing Overview

Agriculture and fishing

Agriculture and fisheries are an important industry and employ one third of the working population. The fishing waters are among the richest in the world. Agriculture consists mainly of animal husbandry; Due to the dry climate, the possibilities for cultivation are limited.

  • CountryAAH: Comprehensive import regulations of Namibia. Covers import prohibitions and special documentation requirements for a list of prohibited items.

Commercial agriculture is mainly conducted on large farms, which are largely owned by white Namibians. Livestock management accounts for 90 percent of sales. Cows in the northern and central parts of the country are kept, while sheep, goats and ostriches are more common in the drier southern parts. Beef is the most important commodity, but other meat, live animals, dairy products, leather and the coveted Persian skins of the Karakul sheep are also sold. There is also some cultivation for export. Grapes started growing on the Orange River in the 1990s and now provide the sector’s second largest export revenue, after beef.

Most Namibians grow for self-catering. Most of them feed on collectively owned land in the densely populated northern parts of the country. This means that over half of the population is wholly or partly dependent on agriculture, which is carried out under the scarce circumstances of the black population. They keep livestock and grow basic crops such as corn, beans, potatoes and millet. For Namibia defense and foreign policy, please check relationshipsplus.

Redistribution of the land

In good years, domestic production is enough for just over two-thirds of the country’s food needs, the rest being imported. When the rain is absent, food shortages occur. It is managed helpfully through state aid programs. Drought, overwork and corrosive cultivation methods are tearing and deteriorating the conditions for cultivation. The Zambezi region is sometimes hit by severe flooding as the water in the Zambezi River rises above its banks.

The uneven distribution of land is a colonial legacy and the government has had land reform on the program since independence in 1990. It has been focused on achieving a voluntary redistribution according to the principle “willing seller, willing buyer”.

The white homeowners are encouraged to sell land or entire farms and, according to the constitution, receive reasonable compensation. The government grants landless mortgages and also buys land to distribute to poor farmers. However, the change is very slow, partly because the efficient and profitable farming of large privately owned farms is important for the economy.

Great fishing industry

Gradually requirements have been set at a faster pace in the redistribution. In 2003, the law was amended to make it possible to start forcibly redeemed land, mainly from owners who do not live on their own farms. “Fair compensation” was promised but the message raised great concern among landowners, not least as some government representatives cited land acquisitions in Zimbabwe as good examples. However, the redistribution has continued at a leisurely pace, with very few cases of compulsory redemptions.

In northeastern Namibia there are forests with teak and other noble woods. The authorities have not been able to stop the illegal logging and smuggling that occurs.

Fisheries and fish products account for approximately the same share of the economy as the agricultural sector in general. After independence, a fishing zone of 200 nautical miles was introduced to stop foreign vessels from catching too much fish. Catches can now be controlled by introducing fishing quotas for the most important varieties, such as hake, sardine, anchovy and mackerel. However, the availability varies for natural reasons. Most companies in the fishing industry are Namibian. Most of the catch is processed in the country and then goes for export.

FACTS – AGRICULTURE

Agriculture’s share of GDP

7.2 percent (2018)

Percentage of land used for agriculture

47.1 percent (2016)

  • Abbreviationfinder.org: Offers how the 3-letter acronym of NAM stands for the state of Namibia in geography.

2013

November

South Africa promises aid to Botswana

South Africa’s President Jacob Zuma, during a state visit, promises assistance on the occasion of the severe drought.

Yes to the expansion of Walvis Bay

The authorities announce that an expansion of the port of Walvis Bay will begin in early 2014 with the support of the African Development Bank. Through the expansion, the port’s capacity will be tripled.

August

Name change for resorts

Some colonial place names are replaced with Namibian ones. The Caprivi region in the northeast, which got its name after the German Chancellor Leo von Caprivi, changes its name to Zambezi after the border river of the same name. The town of Schuckmannsburg in the Zambezi region gets its original name Lohonono back. The Karas region changes its name to // Karas where the characters are to indicate click sounds (see Population and language). The port city of Lüderitz in the southwest is also said to be renamed, to! Nami # Nüs, which will also reproduce click sounds. Later, however, the authorities state that the city retains its old name while a constituency gets the new name.

July

Confident is sued for slander

President Sam Nujoma sues the independent magazine Confidénte for slander, for an article about Nujoma’s livestock grazing on a farm belonging to a military base. The charge is brought despite Confidénte, on a front page, taking back the information and apologizing.

May

Extreme drought results in exceptional conditions

Emergency permits are introduced throughout the country due to severe drought. The lack of rainfall is expected to halve the harvest in some areas. The government is asking the outside world for help in responding to the crisis.

April

Husab gets new uranium mine

The work begins with the opening of a new uranium mine in Husab, eight miles east of Swakopmund. The mine is expected to provide 6,000 temporary and 2,000 permanent jobs when it is in full swing, and will lead to a three-fold increase in uranium production in the country.

February

  • Forty-three people charged with the separatist insurgency in Caprivi in ​​1999 are acquitted after ten years of trial. Most of them have been detained since 1999 (see Political system and Modern history).

The government regulates

The government cuts both the corporate tax and the income tax for employees. At the same time, pensions are being raised from 500 to 600 Namibian dollars.

Namibia Agriculture and Fishing