India's government is assisting Namibia with grain and other food items for the drought relief programme.

The outgoing High Commissioner of India, Mandarapu Subbarayudu, revealed this during a farewell courtesy call on President Nangolo Mbumba at State House.

India's assistance follows Namibia's international appeal to augment the shortfall in the drought relief programme.

"Now, as you know, we are facing drought, and rain was not kind this year, so we are looking for friends who can help us. Our staple food is maize, but the traditional one is millet, and if India has a surplus for us to buy, we will highly appreciate or contribute. We have made an international appeal that we need support in terms of grain."

India is one of the world's largest producers of grain as a staple food, producing over 329 million metric tonnes of food grains in 2023.

It is also a top producer of millet, with varieties such as bulk wheat, pearl millet, and sorghum contributing to more than 19% of total world production.

The Indian High Commissioner says his country's assistance to Namibia could be combined with training locals to venture into drought-resilient agriculture.

"We informed our government already about the initiatives, and as you mentioned, apart from food grain support, we are also willing to collaborate with you on drought-resilient initiatives. In fact, last year, the High Commission of India, in collaboration with MIRCO, organised a joint event on millet production and increasing productivity in Namibia. Two experts, directors from the International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics, ICRISAT, addressed the conference, and we were able to identify some areas of cooperation. India produces nine types of millet, while Namibia produces pearl millet, so why not introduce other types?"

In 2019, India provided 1,000 metric tonnes of cereal to Namibia to assist drought-stricken households.