Namibia becomes a banana producer

About 2.5 tonnes of bananas were harvested in Namibia earlier this month.

By Leon Louw founder of WhyAfrica and Endorphin Expeditions  

Buying a fresh banana in Namibia has always been a bit like going to the Mermaid casino in downtown Swakopmund for a round of roulette on a Friday night.

Even in major cities, shelves are often lined with dark coloured, overripe bananas mostly imported from the Limpopo and Mpumalanga provinces of South Africa.

Depending on time spent at border crossings, it can take refrigerated trucks between 3 to 5 days to reach towns like Windhoek and Swakopmund.

Proudly produced Namibian bananas

But that is about to change.

Apart from all the other health benefits of traveling through Namibia (it is a spectacular country to visit), one can now buy fresh, Namibian produced bananas.

With border delays and limited cold-chain infrastructure, one- or two-day old bananas use to be as rare in Namibia as baboons in Etosha National Park.

As an unashamed banana lover, it was thus extremely good news when I received a message from a friend in Namibia yesterday informing me that bananas are now being produced locally.

A good 2026 harvest

Bananas are the second most consumed fruit in Namibia (after apples) and proudly Namibian produced bananas can now be purchased at Checkers stores in Windhoek, the capital city.

The bananas are being grown at the Etunda test site near Ruacana in northern Namibia. The project is a collaboration between the Namibian Agronomic Board (NAB) and AvaGro to establish a commercially viable banana industry in Namibia.

A total of 2.5 tonnes of bananas were recently harvested from Etunda following their planting in January 2025.

Etunda a key agricultural zone

The Etunda area is now one of Namibia’s key irrigated agricultural zones, producing maize, wheat, potatoes, vegetables, grapes and mangoes.

The Etunda trial currently consists of 1,104 banana plants on roughly 0.6 hectares, with future harvest expectations of between 20 and 40 tonnes if the trials continue to perform well (source: NAB).

According to NAB CEO Dr. Fidelis Mwazi the longer-term goal is to move beyond trials and create a commercial banana sector where Namibian farmers can participate directly.

A model for agro-industrial development

“The Etunda scheme is increasingly being positioned as a model for agro-industrial development. Alongside bananas, the project has also expanded mango production and is exploring juice processing and other value-addition industries,” says Dr. Mwazi.

WhyAfrica will be in Namibia later this year as part of the 2026 WhyAfrica Overland Road Trip through Africa.

Image credit: Namibia now produces its own bananas. Image credit: Waz Lght from Unsplash.

Namibia becomes a banana producer