The National Agriculture and Export Conference brought together stakeholders to urge Namibia's agricultural sector to attract more investment, boost local production, and reduce reliance on food imports.
At the event, Deputy Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries, Water and Land Reform Ruthy Masake reaffirmed the government's commitment to expanding agricultural production and agro-processing industries.
Masake emphasised the importance of regional trade, highlighting opportunities for Namibian agricultural and agro-processing products in neighbouring markets.
She said the conference theme calls for building on progress already made in the sector while addressing barriers to investment and access to finance.
"Agriculture is not the business of one group, never. It is a business of the nation, if not of the world. OUT:
The Agribank Chief Executive Officer, Robert Eiman, called for stronger collaboration and practical solutions to address challenges facing the agricultural sector.
Eiman said recurring droughts, rising temperatures and livestock disease outbreaks continue to threaten production, livelihoods and access to markets.
He noted that the recent foot-and-mouth disease outbreak had further exposed the need for national preparedness, effective coordination and rapid response mechanisms.
In a speech delivered on his behalf, he stressed that building a resilient agricultural economy requires moving beyond crisis management towards sustained, long-term investment.
"Resilience cannot be something we discuss only after the rain fails, the market closure or the disease outbreaks."
Conference Director Tonata Shiimi called for increased domestic agricultural production to reduce food imports, create jobs and drive economic growth.
Shiimi acknowledged the contribution of institutions such as Agribank and the Namibia Agronomic Board in supporting the sector over the past 36 years.
However, he said more investment is needed to expand production and ensure agriculture plays a greater role in employment creation and economic development.
"We may be excited about oil and gas, but we do not eat oil and gas. We also have a lot of minerals, but we do not eat minerals. But certainly we need food in order to power ourselves and drive the rest of the other subjects of the world economy."
The conference seeks to promote locally produced goods, encourage wider participation in agriculture and strengthen Namibia's capacity to produce its own food.