(Business in Cameroon) - In Cameroon’s Littoral region, maize producers no longer trust the improved maize seeds generously distributed by the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development. According to them, these seeds are of poor quality.

Indeed, because of the extended storage in the warehouses of the Ministry of Agriculture, these seeds seem to have lost their germinative ability. “I tested the germinability of these improved seeds and the rate was of 35%, which is catastrophic for us”, Hubert Seme, a maize producer from the Littoral region, explained to Quotidien de l’Economie.

Even though the ministry of Agriculture has not yet reacted against this accusation, this situation raises fears of a drop in maize production, with Cameroon already being a big importer of maize because of the unbalance between the offer and the demand.