Namibia: Still Bullish on Fishing

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 07 WINDHOEK 000021 SENSITIVE SIPDIS AF/S PHAEDRA GWYN E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: ECON FWS NMFS WA SUBJECT: Namibia: Still Bullish on Fishing Summary ¶1. (SBU) Fishing is one of Namibia's top industries, contributing between three and seven percent of GDP since 1990, and about 20 percent of export earnings. The fishing industry is trying to diversify both its markets and its products. The Namibian government (GRN) has been largely successful in sustainably managing its fisheries. The GRN has had mixed results with its program to "Namibianize" the fishing industry which has been dominated by foreign (mostly Spanish) companies. Government incentives to increase Namibian participation have resulted in a proliferation of fishing companies and an overcapacity in onshore processing but they have also created jobs for previously disadvantaged (black) Namibians. In addition, some black Namibians have become wealthy by acquiring fishing quotas and either exploiting their quotas themselves or "leasing" their quotas to other companies. End Summary Contribution to Economy ¶2. (U) According to the GRN national accounts, fishing is Namibia's third largest industry behind mining and agriculture. The industry has contributed between three and seven percent to Namibia's GDP since independence in 1990. In recent years, fishing's contribution to GDP has declined in real terms. The latest (2004) labor force survey stated that 3.3 percent of working Namibians (between 12,000 and 14,000 people) are directly or indirectly employed in the fishing sector. Government sources state that an additional 400 foreigners work in the sector. Approximately 90 percent of Namibian fish caught are exported, representing 20 percent of export earnings. ¶3. (U) The past two years have been difficult for the industry. In 2008, fishing generated 3.2 billion Namibian dollars (USD 420 million at today's exchange rate). The fishing sector suffered from high input (primarily fuel) prices in 2008. The sharp reduction in fuel prices seemed to bode well for the industry in 2009, but the strengthening of the South African Rand (to which the Namibian dollar is fixed 1:1) against the Euro eroded the industry's margins. The industry suffered a further blow when the water system of Namibia's fishing capital Walvis Bay collapsed in the first quarter of 2009. Without fresh water, fishing companies could not get steady supplies of ice, critical for both fishing vessels and on-shore processing. Table 1: Fishing Industry Revenues (Constant 2004 Prices) N$ millions Year Fishing And On Board Processing On-Shore Processing Total 2000 1,620 623 2,243 2001 1,558 654 WINDHOEK 00000021 002 OF 007 2,212 2002 1,528 647 2,175 2003 1,681 852 2,533 2004 1,564 763 2,327 2005 1,434 723 2,157 2006 1,308 494 1,802 2007 1,059 640 1,699 2008 1,003 616 1,619 Source: Central Bureau of Statistics Table 2: Fishing's Contribution to GDP (2004 Base Year) Year Fishing And On Board Processing On-Shore Processing Total 2000 WINDHOEK 00000021 003 OF 007 4.71% 1.81% 6.52% 2001 4.48% 1.88% 6.36% 2002 4.19% 1.77% 5.96% 2003 4.42% 2.24% 6.66% 2004 3.66% 1.79% 5.45% 2005 3.28% 1.65% 4.93% 2006 2.79% 1.05% 3.85% 2007 2.14% 1.29% 3.44% 2008 1.96% 1.21% 3.17% Source: Central Bureau of Statistics Namibia's Seafood Products WINDHOEK 00000021 004 OF 007 ¶4. (U) Marine fish are the bulk of Namibia's seafood products. The Ministry of Fisheries and Marine Resources (MFMR) breaks down its wild marine species into the following categories: Pelagic Fish - Surface dwelling pilchard, tuna, sword and shark Midwater Fish - horse mackerel, juvenile hake Demersal Fish - hake and monk fish Deep sea Fish - orange roughy Crustaceans - rock lobster, crab Other species - mullets, seals, guano and seaweed ¶5. (U) Horse mackerel is the species that is caught in the largest volumes, but hake is the most commercially valuable fish resource comprising 26 percent of the fishing industry's earnings. The hake industry is also the largest fishing industry employer. There is also a fledgling aquaculture sector with approximately a dozen commercial mariculture (oysters and abalone) farms based in Walvis Bay and Luderitz. The GRN has also promoted small fresh water fish farms as a means to support poor rural communities. To date most GRN-supported farms have grown less than a ton of fish per year, considerably less than commercial farms in neighboring SADC countries (primarily South African and Zambia) that can produce several thousands of tons per year. Foreign Investments ¶6. On January 21, Spain announced a Euro 950,000 donation to the Namibian Fish Consumption Promotion Trust to encourage the local consumption of fish in rural areas. Minister of Fisheries and Marine Resources Abraham Iyambo stated the funds would be used to train Namibians in the handling, marketing, and promotion of fish, as well as to establish new fish shops in the north of the country. Over the years, Spain has supported the Inland Aquaculture Center, Namibian Standard Institute, and scientific research activities. ¶7. During the same week, Vice Minister of Agriculture Niu Dun led China's first delegation to Namibia to discuss bilateral cooperation in the fishing sector. In a meeting with Minister Iyambo, China reportedly offered Namibia student and information exchange programs as well as approximately USD 2 million for aquaculture development. Diversification Needed ¶8. (U) Europe is by far the most important market for Namibia's fish exports, and Spain is the dominant European customer. Spain receives over 70 percent of Namibia's hake. Fishing companies have embarked on a market diversification strategy over the past two years. Two senior representatives at hake companies told Econoff that they are now shipping less than 40 percent of their product to Spain. Previously, their Spanish customer would resell to Dutch, Portuguese, and Italian clients. Now the two companies have cut out the Spanish middleman and are earning higher margins on their sales. ¶9. (U) Companies are also focusing on product diversification. Fish processers are increasingly trying to expand their product lines into already prepared (primarily breaded) products. Processors with excess capacity have struck deals with fishing fleets that trawl the seas as far away as the Argentine coast. Econoff visited a seafood plant that was processing calamari caught in waters near the Falkland Islands. WINDHOEK 00000021 005 OF 007 ¶10. (U) Mariculture - primarily oysters - is another area that traditional fishing companies are eyeing for expansion. Namibian oysters reach market size in half the time of oysters in other parts of the world and according to experts taste significantly better than oysters grown elsewhere as well. Great taste and faster time to market should result in a mariculture boom, but oyster and abalone farmers argue that lack of access to high value markets like the U.S. (due to the lack of a qualified food lab), and a risk averse financial sector are their greatest challenges. Oyster farmers currently ship to South Africa and Asia (primarily China and Singapore). Commercial farmers admit their business is a high-risk proposition, but claim their rewards are commensurate. The risks were quite evident in 2008 when a prolonged and severe red tide event wiped out most of Namibia's oyster crop. Companies that survived 2008 state they are better equipped should another prolonged red tide threaten their crop again. Banks however, which were already quite leery of lending to oyster farmers, have become even more hesitant to lend since 2008. An alternative form of capitalization has come in the form of buyouts as some more deeper-pocketed fishing companies - looking to diversify - have acquired commercial oyster farms. Potential for Trade/Business with United States ¶9. (U) Industry representatives from both hake and oyster companies told Econoff that they are keen on penetrating the U.S. market. Econoff suggested to INFOSA, (a SADC fishing industry advisory body that is part of the Global FISHINFO network and partners with FAO GLOBEFISH),and MFMR representatives that they consider sending a mixed public-private delegation to the Boston Seafood Show in March ¶2010. Seafood sales (depending on the type of product) could be an area where Namibia could further exploit the benefits available under AGOA. However, one obstacle to exporting shellfish to the United States and EU has been the lack of a local biotoxin testing facility. The Ministry of Trade and Industry (MTI) has budgeted 38 million Namibian dollars (USD 5 million) over the next three years to add a biotoxin testing laboratory at the Namibian Standards Institute (NSI). Although there are incentives against significantly automating onshore fish processing (companies that employ more Namibians are generally afforded larger quotas),there might also be export opportunities for U.S. equipment manufacturers. Fisheries Management ¶10. (U) The MFMR is responsible for enforcing the GRN's fisheries policies. The GRN is credited with reasonably managing the fish stocks it inherited from the apartheid regime, which had been vastly depleted by 1990. The GRN actively controls its exclusive economic zone (EEZ) and has not shied away from seizing foreign vessels found to be illegally fishing the EEZ. In the early 1990's many Spanish ships were seized, and their crews were frequently detained until requisite fines were paid. ¶11. (U) The MFMR, through its surveys and stock assessment program, establishes its annual Total Allowable Catch (TAC) for each marine species. The TAC for any given species is designed to allow for the maximum sustainable yield (MSY) - a delicate balance between maintaining adequate fish stocks and maximizing the landings available to fishing companies. The MFMR divides each TAC into quotas for individual companies known as rights holders. While industry insiders are generally positive on how the MFMR establishes the TAC for a particular species, some argue the TAC is allocated to too many rights holders, thus diminishing efficiencies. Namibianization of the Industry ¶12. (U) Prior to, and shortly after, independence, foreign (mostly WINDHOEK 00000021 006 OF 007 European) companies dominated the Namibian fishing industry. Since 1992 the government has introduced measures to achieve greater Namibian participation (also known as Namibianization),especially by previously disadvantaged Namibians, in the fishing industry. The MFMR's authority to issue quota rights and the costs (or levies) associated with quota rights is the primary tool the GRN has used to boost Namibianization. The GRN has chosen to grant a large number of small quotas to allow Namibians who cannot afford to pay for a larger quota fees access to the fishing industry. ¶13. (U) The MFMR can (and does) consider Namibian ownership when issuing quotas. The MFMR charges significantly lower quota levies to companies that have over 51 percent Namibian ownership, operate vessels that are majority Namibian owned, fly the Namibian flag, and employ 90 percent or more Namibians. The difference in levy charges between Namibian and foreign vessels has increased over the years, and in some cases foreign vessels pay three times that of Namibian vessels. Firms with greater Namibian ownership are also granted longer quota rights. Firms that are 90% Namibian owned can obtain 10-year rights, while a majority foreign-owned firm (without significant investments in onshore processing) would only be entitled to 4-year rights. ¶14. (U) To increase Namibian employment in the fishing sector, the government has also implemented a number of incentives to promote onshore processing. Initially, the government granted rights holders substantial rebates on their quota levies if they processed fish on shore. Today, the MFMR requires companies to allocate up to 70 percent of their rights to onshore processing (versus shipboard processing). The government also encourages onshore processing as a mechanism to boost "value addition." There were concerns that the fishing industry was frequently sending whole (unprocessed) fish to foreign markets where "middlemen" were making profits on the processing of Namibian fish. Majority foreign-owned firms can obtain longer quota rights (similar to Namibian firms) if the foreign companies invest in onshore processing plants that provide significant employment opportunities (i.e., over 500 jobs) to Namibians. ¶15. (U) The proliferation of rights holders, incentives for Namibian companies and vessels, and the rules and incentives that promote onshore processing have led to expanded employment opportunities for Namibians, but it has also resulted in over capacity throughout the industry. While Namibianization has resulted in more Namibian-owned companies, foreign companies still dominate the industry as minority shareholders. There are some (five) fully Namibian ventures (100% Namibian ownership and control). The more common model is that Namibian partners have a controlling equity stake (51 percent or more),but foreign (generally Spanish) partners still control the day-to-day operations. A small venture with a rights holding may be nothing more than a few Namibian investors who have formed a company to obtain a fishing quota. Such firms may not actually have their own vessels, processing facility, or trained workforce. As quotas are not legally transferrable, many larger companies (with foreign investors) feel compelled to partner with smaller firms -- to have access to the smaller companies' quotas -- to make their operations economical (i.e., decrease the likelihood of equipment underutilization). ¶16. (U) MFMR officials have acknowledged to Econoff that Namibianization has not met all the objectives that government set out for it. Reducing the number of rights holders might allow for consolidation in the industry and thus perhaps greater efficiency due to economies of scale, but it could also crowd out smaller Namibian players, warn MFMR officials. Larger "fully" Namibian businesses would like to see their quotas increased, and some have minimized automation at their processing facilities to employ more Namibian workers. MFMR officials remarked to Econoff that Namibian companies that truly invest in the industry - both in equipment and employment - will be looked upon favorably by the Minister when quotas are reviewed. Comment WINDHOEK 00000021 007 OF 007 ¶17. (U) It is unlikely that the GRN will abandon or radically change its "Namibianization" policy any time soon. The policy has clearly had mixed results. Industry consolidation including the concentration of fishing quotas and processing capacity might make the industry more efficient (and therefore profitable),but it would likely lead to less overall employment. Large numbers of smaller companies that are less mechanized ensure that more Namibians find employment from the fishing sector. Furthermore, the large number of fishing quotas serves as a form of Black Economic Empowerment (BEE). Critics argue that BEE partnerships that buy fishing quotas only to "lease" them to larger firms enrich a select few Namibians but do not benefit previously disadvantaged Namibians on a large scale. Other incentives under the Namibianization program, however, appear to have resulted in greater employment opportunities for black Namibians. Regardless, of what one feels about Namibianization, Namibians appear to still be bullish on fishing. The Namibian Stock Exchange's (NSX) most recent public offering was for Bidvest Namibia a company that derives two thirds of its net profit from fishing. The company raised USD $49 million. End Comment. MATHIEU