The Deputy Prime Minister has commended the Namibia Correctional Service (NCS) for demonstrating that food security is not only about farms and markets but also about innovation within institutions. 

Natangue Ithete made the remarks at Katima Mulilo on Friday when he handed over a warehouse to the NCS to be used on government-to-government lease terms.

NIDA previously used the warehouse.

The Namibia Correctional Service has been tasked to make use of the Katima Liselo farm to produce not only maize but also other agricultural produce. 

 The Deputy Prime Minister said Namibia imports close to 60% of its food requirements, making it vulnerable to external shocks such as global price hikes and disruption in supply chains.

According to Ithete, a sustained food system also provides raw materials for industries such as milling, packaging, and food processing, which create jobs and stimulate rural economies.

"By providing storage facilities, we are strengthening the entire value chain, ensuring that food harvested is not lost to spoilage but preserved for sustained use. This means better stock management, improved nutrition within our correctional facilities, and even the potential for surplus supplies to benefit the wider community."

He stressed that, by strengthening food security, the country will also unlock opportunities for industrial growth and move closer to achieving the vision of a self-sufficient and industrialised Namibia.

The Deputy Commissioner General of the Namibia Correctional Service, Sam Shaalulange, explained the strategy of producing food.

"We also perceive this food production strategy, Honourable Deputy Prime Minister, as a perfect complement to our rehabilitation efforts. And it fits perfectly with the country's needs to capacitate our people with much-needed agricultural skills, thereby increasing their ability to rehabilitate and reintegrate into the community as law-abiding citizens."

Shaalulange noted that NCS is now able to produce not only for inmates and the security cluster but also to contribute to the office of the Prime Minister's drought relief programme.

More than 82,000 bags of maize meal, worth N$9.7 million, were produced during the 2023/2024 financial year. 

Ithete called upon other institutions to emulate the good example of NCS, and contribute to the nation's food security goals.