Namibia bans import of 13 vegetables
The Namibia government, through the Namibian Agronomic Board (NAB), has temporarily banned the importation of various vegetables due to the abundance of local vegetables and in a bid to encourage local production.
NAB last week listed a ban on 13 vegetables in the country from 12 - 31 August 2021, or until further notice, this is according to NAB Horticulture Market Development manager Emilie Abraham.
Namibia has, therefore, banned the importation of washed potatoes, beetroot, butternut, cabbage, carrot, green onion and sweet potatoes, among others.
Speaking to Nampa on Friday, Abraham confirmed the ban, stating that due to the abundance of locally produced vegetables, the government took these measures, adding that they are in line with the Market Share Promotion (MSP) scheme to encourage local production and the marketing of agriculture products in the country. Abraham said through monthly assessments and data collection on local production and producers, they then analyse the data to make sure that they will be able to satisfy the demand, therefore arriving at the temporary ban of the 13 produce until further notice. She added that the special period permit will run for a month, with the next assessment to be introduced on 20 August for the month of September.
“We assessed the demand of our country and we found out that our local producers are able to produce or put on table four tons and that is why we decided to close the border on the importation of those products,” said Abraham.