Farmers urged to form coorperatives

Minader encouraged farmers to take seriously, the cooperative initiative of Pauline Eyebe.

This will empower farmers to cultivate products of high quality in large quantities. That is why cooperative markets, the initiative of Pauline Eyebe Effa, Coordinator in Cameroon from the NGO partnership France and Africa for co-development (PFAC) are being created in Cameroon.

Indeed, cooperative markets are required to offer producers, a collection of services, transport and sale of their crops, but they have to also move production basins. The final goal is to allow them to sell quickly and more of their produce, while reducing the cost for the basket.

After the Borough of Yaoundé 7, the second site of cooperative markets officially opened Wednesday at the Kondengui district, in the District of Yaoundé IV, in the presence of Essimi Menye, Minister of Agriculture and rural development (Minader).

To start its activities, this market only offers plantain, at very affordable prices. "A similar order of this kind costs you 13,000 F in other markets", says a lady, pointing at foodstuffs in a row arranged into piles of more than a metre high for 5,000 F.

The information had spread among the traders who stormed the site, a few minutes before the arrival of the Minader. "Bayam Sellam will buy but housewives can also come, since the market is open for both wholesale and retail," said one of the producers.

Yet, according to Pauline Eyebe Effa, 'the idea of cooperative markets is also to limit the powers of middlemen between producers and consumers. In practice, producers grouped in co-operatives collect their crops which are channelled to consumers from the Minader vehicles. We have set up local networks of social and solidarity economy that ensure these exchanges are on a daily basis.

For his part, the Minader welcomed the initiative, stating that "in recent months, we travelled around the country to encourage farmers to produce more and organize themselves into cooperatives so that we can have a better ability of organization and guidance".

Essimi Menye also invited them to think about transformation, in order to earn more and contribute to the development of the country.