FCFA 3550 billion to boost agriculture in Cameroon

Cameroon now has a National Agricultural Investment Plan (NAIP) with the sum of FCFA 3550 billion to be used to boost the country’s agricultural sector in the next seven years.

Agriculture and Rural Development Minister, Essimi Menye made the revelation in Yaounde April 9 during a ceremony at the Yaounde Hilton Hotel to validate Cameroon’s National Agricultural Investment Plan (NAIP).

It is a document of over 70-pages which specifies four areas of development of the country’s agriculture sector: These include the development of production sectors (plant, animal, fisheries and forestry); the modernization of production facilities and elaboration of access to financing mechanisms; recovery and sustainable management of natural resources; capacity building of stakeholders and promotion of dialogue.

This plan defines concretely the mechanisms that should accelerate the modernization of agriculture in Cameroon.

To be implemented for seven years (2014-2020), this plan will require approximately FCFA 3,550 billion. The agricultural potentials of the country will be highlighted to reverse inflation. According to Essimi Menye, the fallouts of these investments will affect the entire chain of production and development of agriculture in the country.

The researcher who improves seedlings, farmer, tractor driver, phytosanitary specialist, industrialist who transforms products and the exporter of manufactured goods would all benefit from this plan, the Minister disclosed, with a return of investment for the financier.

This is a vision of wishful thinking, as Cameroon, according Essimi Menye, is working to translate into tangible reality by 2035.

The NAIP validation falls within the framework of implementing the Comprehensive Africa Agriculture Development Programme (CAADP) in Cameroon.

The main objective CAADP, Essimi Menye said is to help African countries to reach a higher path of economic growth through agriculture-led development in order to eliminate hunger and reduce poverty.

NAIP Cameroon is developed through four thematic fields including developing sub-sector products (animal, fish and forest) and improving food and nutritional security, modernizing rural production infrastructure and improving mechanisms for access to funding among others.

Exports of cash crops and forest (cocoa, coffee, cotton, bananas, wood, etc.) bring about FCFA 550 billion annually to Cameroon. Unfortunately, at the same time, the country needs to import to the same value and sometimes more, rice, wheat flour, fish, etc.

It is therefore necessary to make up the gap and even go further to export not only raw materials, but also manufactured goods with high added value. After government’s approval last week, NAIP will still have to go through the validation of NEPAD and ECCAS, prior to a ” business meeting “, to devoted to the actual start of the programme.