Namibia’s young but ambitious blueberry sector is positioning itself as a future heavyweight in the global fruit export market, with investors drawing comparisons to Peru’s meteoric rise as the world’s leading blueberry producer. Speaking at the International Blueberry Organisation Summit in Cape Town last week, Albert Basson, Chief Investment Officer at Spitz Capital, suggested that Namibia’s industry could grow from its current 150 hectares to 10,000 hectares, with potential for as much as 20,000 hectares in the longer term.
Peru’s rapid expansion from just 80 hectares in 2012 to over 20,500 hectares today – a trajectory averaging 65% annual growth, according to the United States Department of Agriculture’s Foreign Agricultural Service – has set a benchmark for emerging producers worldwide. Namibia, where blueberries were first planted in 2019, has since seen the crop become the country’s second-largest horticultural industry after table grapes.
Basson noted that Namibia’s unique climatic conditions, particularly the sharp contrasts between daytime highs and night-time lows, contribute to exceptional fruit quality. However, he cautioned that such advantages require significant expertise to manage effectively. He also highlighted the importance of infrastructure, noting that Namibian growers benefit from reliable road transport linking farms directly to major export gateways, including Cape Town harbour, OR Tambo International Airport, Walvis Bay port, and Hosea Kutako International Airport.
Unlike neighbouring South Africa, Namibia’s sparsely populated landscape means that land is more readily available, and growers face fewer administrative hurdles when negotiating market access. The absence of strong competition from other large-scale commodity exporters has also created more direct engagement opportunities between industry stakeholders and government officials.
The Namibian industry is expected to evolve along a different trajectory from South Africa’s, where blueberry production is still dominated by family-run enterprises. Basson suggested that Namibia’s growth will more likely be driven by institutional and corporate farming enterprises, which bring with them financial capital, specialised knowledge, and global expertise. He added that such developments could provide Namibia with a long-term comparative advantage as the industry scales up.
Regionally, the expansion of Namibia’s blueberry production is part of a wider Southern African trend. Zimbabwe, which only began planting in 2019, has already grown to around 750 hectares under cultivation. South Africa remains the dominant player with approximately 2,650 hectares, while Angola, Kenya, and Mozambique are also emerging as players in the sector. Data from the Bureau for Food and Agricultural Policy (BFAP) indicate that Southern Africa collectively contributes around 10% of the Southern Hemisphere’s blueberry supply.
The strategic vision for Namibia and its neighbours is not to compete directly with established producers, but rather to complement global supply chains during specific windows of high demand. Namibia is targeting production for export during weeks 26 to 38 of the year, a period that dovetails with Peru’s seasonal output and provides Northern Hemisphere markets with consistent year-round supply.
Basson’s remarks underscore the sense that Namibia’s blueberry sector represents more than a national success story. It is becoming a case study in how African agricultural producers can leverage climatic advantage, institutional investment, and regional collaboration to expand their role in global food systems. Whether Namibia can truly replicate Peru’s trajectory remains to be seen, but the scale of ambition now on display reflects broader continental efforts to move beyond extractive industries and invest in high-value agricultural exports.
