CHAMWE KAIRA
The ministry of finance and the ministry of agriculture, fisheries, water and land reform this week officially announced and confirmed the results of the governmental objective fishing quota auction that was held on 22 May, providing a full breakdown of allocations, bids and revenue performance.
The public auction successfully generated a total of N$68.4 million in revenue for the State. This total amount includes N$9 000 collected from horse mackerel application fees and a further N$13 000 generated from hake application fees, according to the official announcement.
Officials confirmed that the auction achieved substantial improvements in price realisation across the various categories, while also noting that there were no unallocated metric tons (MT) remaining for either of the two fish species that were offered to the market.
In terms of supply, the government placed a total of 11 037 metric tons of horse mackerel on offer, which was structured and divided into freezer and wet categories.
All of the available volumes were successfully sold through the competitive bidding process, the ministries said.
Within the horse mackerel segment, the freezer quota amounted to 6 622.27 MT, which was allotted out of a total 24 000 MT subscribed by bidders.
This segment alone generated over N$24.1 million in revenue. The highest price achieved in this category reached N$3 650 per MT, while the weighted average price settled at N$3 640.20 per MT, reflecting strong demand and relatively tight pricing outcomes.
For the wet horse mackerel category, a total of 4 414.84 MT was allotted out of 8 414.84 MT subscribed. This category raised over N$7.17 million in total proceeds.
The highest price recorded in this segment was N$1 625 per MT, which also matched the weighted average price, indicating uniform pricing outcomes across successful bids.
Officials further indicated that a total of nine bids were submitted across both horse mackerel categories, reflecting moderate participation levels in the auction process.
Turning to hake, the government stated that a total of 1 719.69 metric tons of hake were offered to bidders during the auction.
The full volume of 1 719.69 MT was successfully cleared, resulting in complete allocation of the available quota without any remaining stock.
In the hake freezer segment, 515.91 MT were allotted out of 3 831.82 MT subscribed, generating over N$11.1 million in revenue.
The highest price recorded in this category reached N$21 600 per MT, reflecting strong competition among bidders for the premium quota.
In the hake wet category, 1 203.78 MT were allotted out of 4 307.56 MT subscribed, generating more than N$26 million in proceeds.
The best price in this category also peaked at N$21 600 per MT, consistent with the upper pricing levels achieved in the freezer segment, according to the announcement.
Overall, the hake auction attracted a combined total of 13 bids across the different categories. All successful bidders finalised their transactions on the designated settlement date of 29 May, as confirmed by the authorities in the official communication.
The ministries further emphasised that the outcome of the auction reflects both active market participation and improved price discovery mechanisms in the allocation of national fishing resources, contributing to overall state revenue performance for the period under review.
