According to the financial report for 2019, created by the Agro-Marketing and Trading Agency, government offices, ministries, and agencies (OMAs) only bought 200 tonnes of fresh produce from local hubs in 2019, despite their annual requirements of 4,000 tonnes. This means these parties only sourced 5% of their fruit and vegetable requirements from local hubs, hampering the growth of the local agricultural sector.
The cabinet has directed all OMAs to include in their food supply tender specifications, a requirement that produce should be sourced locally, particularly from and inclusive of the national fresh produce business hubs.
According to namibian.com.naΒΈ the directive was repeated last year when Iipumbu Shiimi took over as Finance minister and it also came under the spotlight recently when the Public Procurement Board demanded it is followed through various criteria and requirements.
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