Palmwine tapping is a lucrative business - Farmer

One John, a farmer who lives in Mamu village outside the southwest Buea, says palm wine business is lucrative.

According to John, collecting palm wine is his main source of income for taking care of his family. It also pays the tuition of his five children.

John bought a piece of land in the forest 20 years ago and started to grow Raphia palm trees. Now he has 400 Raphia palm trees, but he produces palm wine from just 12 palm trees at the moment.

During a visit to his site, John told Xinhua that a palm tree of seven years can produce wine. “When the leaves of the palm tree bend, it means it’s time to produce wine,” he said.

John said the wine production period is only two months, after that, the tree becomes useless, then he cuts it and uses it as firewood.

John in his bid to show reporter how to collect the palm wine, climbed up the tree, cut a hole in it until the wine flows out from it, then he put a barrel next to the hole to let the wine drip into the container.

He collects the wine twice a day, one in the morning, the other in the evening.

John said he could collect around 60 litres of palm wine a day, and sell them to Jeniter, owner of a bar in the village for 6,000 FCFA (about 12 U.S. dollars).

This drink from palm trees is sweet and has a smell of wine. Jeniter told Xinhua that the villagers like the wine very much. “A lot of them come to drink the wine every day. My customers said it is good for their health and can prevent malaria,” Jeniter said.

John said with the income of selling palm wine, the tuition for his children are guaranteed and he also has extra money to take care of his family and pay hospital bills.