New transfer tech's to boost Yde palm oil production

Prominently, the transfer of new technologies to producers of palm oil, was recently recorded as a measure in the national strategy validated in Yaoundé. The Palm oil sector generates an annual turnover of 190 billion CFA FRANCS in Cameroon. In addition to thousands of jobs, both at the level of production, agro-industry activities related to the marketing and processing of crude oil and its by-products.

According 2012 data from the United Nations food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO), with a production of 322,000 tonnes per year, Cameroon is tenth world producer of palm oil and 3rd in Africa, after Nigeria (940 000 t) and Côte d'Ivoire (417 000 t), except for the fact that the Cameroonian production similar to the entire black continent, is estimated to be marginal and in free fall.

Africa fell within 76% of world production in 1961 to be situated today around 5 percent. In Cameroon like other places, on content, the problems are many: "Difficulty in getting access to land and raw materials, low mechanization of production, low performance, low rate of technology transfer, high cost of energy, etc.", yesterday quoted Fuh Calistus Gentry, Secretary of State for the Ministry of industry, Mines and technological development.

Yesterday in Yaoundé, the Secretary of State proceeded to the opening of "workshop for the validation of the policy and strategy of sustainable development of the palm oil in Cameroon, an initiative of the project for improvement of the productivity and the competitiveness of the palm oil sector (APROCOM-PH), with the expertise of the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO).

Launched in 2010 for a period of four years, the aroused project examined the specific problems of the sector along the chain. Today, the actors (growers, researchers, agro-industrial, OEM, etc.) validate strategies to propose to the Government for the revival of the sector. Mbi Oruh Michael, Coordinator national APROCOM-PH explained that "interventions focus on three main strategic issues, including the transfer of technologies.

In practice, it for example, planned to organize peasants in production-pilot basins, to teach them new production techniques, extraction and other transformation from machines. It hopes however for funding from the State to give a boost to the sector".