Namibia's grape export sector recorded 16.7% year-on-year growth, rising from US$400,000 (N$7.7 million) in the final quarter of 2023 to US$66.9 million (N$1.29 billion) in the final quarter of 2024.
Production is concentrated in the Aussenkehr Valley on the Orange River. According to Minister of International Relations and Trade, Selma Ashipala-Musavyi, the growth in grape and date exports supports the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) Implementation Strategy (2022-2027), which identifies both crops as priority commodities.
Meeting with the business community in the Keetmanshoop area, Ashipala-Musavyi said that the Kharas region's fresh produce capacity was showing clear growth. She noted that Namibia currently ranks 17th among global exporters of table grapes, with 70% of production shipped from the Aussenkehr Valley to the Netherlands, UK, and Germany.
Annual production is around 33,000 metric tons, grown on the banks of the Orange River as it flows past the Richtersveld region in South Africa.
Ashipala-Musavyi said part of the export expansion has been enabled by improved logistics capacity at the Port of Walvis Bay. She encouraged grape and date growers to explore opportunities in AfCFTA markets.
Source: Freight News