By: Nghiinomenwa-vali Hangala
Namibia’s poultry sector remains heavily reliant on imports to meet domestic demand.
In 2025, poultry meat imports totalled approximately 20,380 tons, representing a substantial supply of poultry products to the domestic market, according to the Namibia Agricultural Union (NAU) Quarterly Report for the 4th quarter of 2025.
NAU researcher Leigh-Ann Nehoya explained that the poultry imports significantly exceed those of other livestock products, reflecting the strong and growing demand for poultry as an affordable and widely consumed protein source in Namibia.
Poultry imports were sourced primarily from Brazil, which accounted for the largest share of imported volumes during 2025. Brazil supplied approximately 9,161 tons, making it the dominant supplier to the Namibian market.
Additional imports were sourced from countries such as the Netherlands, Poland, Argentina and South Africa, although their contributions were considerably smaller in comparison.
Nehoya stated that the strong presence of Brazilian poultry reflects its competitiveness in global markets and its established role within regional poultry trade flows.
The composition of poultry imports reveals a strong concentration in processed and lower-value poultry products, she said.
Mechanically deboned meat (MDM) accounted for approximately 14,061 tons, representing nearly 69% of total poultry imports in 2025.
According to Nehoya, MDM is widely used in the production of processed poultry products such as sausages, polonies, and other value-added items.
Other imported products included backs and carcasses (921 tons), chicken cuts (575 tons), and offal products such as chicken livers and gizzards.
She stated that the dominance of MDM highlights the importance of imports in supporting Namibia’s poultry processing industry and supplying affordable poultry-based products to the domestic market.
Domestic poultry meat producers have slaughtered a total of 19,5 million chickens in 2025 for domestic consumption.
Chicken marketing showed steady cumulative growth, according to the Livestock and Livestock Products Board of Namibia. By the end of June 2025, marketing volumes had already reached 9.31 million birds, rising to 17.62 million birds by the end of November, before closing the year (2025) at 19.47 million birds.
Namibia not only imports poultry meat, but also day-old chicks to raise for slaughter and layers. A total of 474,161 live chickens were imported in 2025, with day-old chicks from South Africa dominating at 394,621 heads (83.2%), followed by layer chickens also from South Africa at 41,954 heads (8.8%).
Day-old chick imports from the Netherlands accounted for 20,790 heads (4.4%), while Zambia supplied 16,796-day-old chicks (3.5% of total imports).
This implies that 92.1% of all live chicken imports were from South Africa for the year 2025.
erastus@thevillager.com.na
