Cameroon imports 212 billion worth of rice

The nature of the imports in 2013 has been for several years, a continual process. The previous year, the government had already had to spend 156 billion for this product due to high consumption.

This is confirmed by the 2013 report on the national Committee of the balance of payments charged, approximately, to analyze the whole of the economic transactions between the country and the rest of the world during the year.

Indeed, according to the aforementioned report, the imported food continued in spite of the advertisements of the government to reverse the tendency for years. Cameroon bought 819,8 million tons of rice in 2013 for an amount of 212 billion FCFA.

The quantities of fish went up to 179,6 million tons with a value of 122,7 billion to 204 million tons for an amount of 142,7 billion FCFA. The blaze of the imports relates also to other products with high consumption.

Products such as refined sugars (64 million tons for an amount of 23,1 billion in 2012 against 109,8 million tons for a value of 33,2 billion the following year), crude oils or refined (54 million tons at a cost of 32,3 billion against 64,5 million tons of a value of 30,3 billion the following year).

Cameroon, "Africa in miniature" as it is often called, should however be a food example of self-sufficiency, in sight of its natural potential and of its people, more than 50% rural.

However, the imports of food have increased continuously for several decades."At the end of the Seventies, we produced nearly 85% of our food needs. Today, it hardly goes more than 60% ", Bernard Njonga affirms.