Wheat, as a winter crop, can only be planted in Namibia under irrigation. The main wheat production areas are the hardap Irrigation scheme at Mariental in the south and, the government irrigation projects next to the Okavango River. Small portions of wheat are produced at irrigation farms in the Maize Triangle.

Table: Wheat produced and marketed in the 2017-18 financial year

The Wheat price is calculated as follows:

• SAFEX 5-year average or the average of the October SAFEX spot price,whichever is the highest.
• 30% import parity ex South Africa and 70% import parity via Walvis Bay, landed in Windhoek.

 

Formula A:

• 30% of the five-year average (adjusted for inflation) of the actual SAFEX spotprice, plus the transport differential from Upington to Windhoek,and
• 70% of the five-year average (adjusted for inflation) Hard Red Winter (HRW) import parity price from the United States and the Rand/US Dollar exchange rate, plus the transport via Walvis Bay to Windhoek.

Formula B:

In the First week of November each year, a price will be determined based on the following:

• 30% of the average of the actual SAFEX spot price for October, plus the transport differential from Upington to Windhoek (as set out in formula A.1.above), and
• 70% of the average HRW import parity price from the US and the Rand/US$ exchange for October, plus the transport via Walvis Bay to Windhoek (as set out in formula B.1. above).
  The 2016 wheeat pricce of N$4 849.59/tonne was calculated on the SAFEX 5-year average that included the SACU external tariff of N$547/tonne.

As a result, this crop is not affected by Namibia’s erratic rainfall. Wheat is normally planted during June / July and harvested between November and December every year.

Wheat is produced at the Hardap Irrigation Scheme near Mariental in the south, and along the Okavango River in the Kavango Region, at the following projects / schemes:

• Musese
• Sikondo
• Uvungu-Vungu
• donga Lilena
• Mashare
• Shitemo
• Shadikongoro

 

Etunda Irrigation Project in the Omusati Region also plants wheat for its own milling purposes.

Smaller quantities of wheat are produced by commercial irrigation producers in the Otavi, Kombat, Tsumeb and Abenab areas.

Namibian wheat price applicable from 1 November 2017 until 31 January 2018:

• N$ 5 178.13 for wheat B1 delivered mill-door
• N$ 5 082.13 for wheat B2 delivered mill-door
• N$ 4 986.13 for wheat B3 delivered mill-door