China offers lessons for Namibia’s food security goals

Namibia is seeking to deepen agricultural cooperation with China by prioritising technology transfer and encouraging Chinese companies to establish local assembly plants for agricultural machinery.

During a visit to the Sichuan Agriculture Research Station as part of president Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah’s state visit to China, minister of agriculture Inge Zaamwani praised the facility’s advancements in crop production, high-yield seed varieties and agricultural technology.

“It is very impressive what they are doing here. The production, the quality of the plants they are producing, the yield per hectare, the number of times you can harvest per annum and, most importantly, the technology that is very critical to this type of activity,” she said.

The minister said Namibia’s priority is to ensure that cooperation with China extends beyond importing machinery to include technology transfer and local industrial development.

“For us who would be interested in technology transfer, we would probably want to ask them to set up an assembly plant initially, with spare parts, because one of the biggest challenges is that when equipment breaks down, we cannot easily find spare parts. But if they are assembling it at home and have spare parts available, then it is a lot better for us,” she said.

Zaamwani noted that Wednesday’s visit demonstrated technologies that could significantly benefit Namibia, particularly as the country seeks to improve agricultural productivity under increasingly arid conditions.

The Sichuan Agricultural Research Station showcased several drought-tolerant, high-yield maize varieties developed to improve food security and climate resilience.

Among them is Chengdan 372, a high-density hybrid suitable for both grain and silage production that recorded demonstration yields of 21.3 tonnes per hectare in 2025, setting a new yield record for southwest and southern China.

Researchers also presented Chengdan 30, a drought-tolerant hybrid with a well-developed root system, low water loss through transpiration and resistance to major maize diseases.

The variety achieved yields of 19.2 tonnes per hectare and has been cultivated on more than 667 000 hectares across China.

Another innovation, Chengdan 716, was developed specifically for maize-soybean intercropping, featuring high-density planting, lodging resistance and high starch content, making it suitable for mechanised farming and food processing.

Scientists highlighted ongoing research on the genetic and metabolic mechanisms that enable maize to withstand drought, using integrated genomic and metabolomic analysis to develop more climate-resilient crop varieties.

The state visit forms part of efforts by the Namibian delegation to strengthen bilateral cooperation with China in agriculture, innovation and investment, with a focus on improving food security and building local capacity through technology transfer.

– Nampa

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