South West : Cocoa, Coffee Producers’ Desk Operational

This Producers’ Desk, a new mechanism that will enable cocoa and coffee producers within Cameroon’s various agricultural basins to directly receive government subsidies on a mass basis, was launched in Buea on Friday September 24, 2021 by Gabriel Mbairobe, Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development.  It was established that the government’s objective is to increase national cocoa production to 640,000 tons by 2030 compared to the 257,151 tons during the 2019/2020 season. For coffee, the target production is 160,000 tons compared to the 22,000 tons currently. For the fiscal year 2021, the budget envelop is FCFA 6.2 billion and is expected to grow exponentially to reach FCFA 50 billion within the next five years.
Minister Gabriel Mbairobe noted that insufficient funding remains one of the problems in the development of agricultural sector with cocoa and coffee subsectors among those affected. Fortunately, the advent of the Cocoa and Coffee Producers’ Desk will remedy the situation by providing funding. The Minister said the sector contribute greatly in Cameroon’s trade balance and plays a vital role in alleviating poverty and fighting unemployment. The rich volcanic soil coupled with the favourable climatic conditions make the South West Region the leading cocoa producing region in Cameroon.
Emmanuel Kamayou, repres...