(Business in Cameroon) - The Cameroonian government plans to spend close to half a billion FCFA to build four agricultural storage warehouses in the northern regions. Two of them will be dedicated to onions, we learned.

The initiative is part of the second phase of the Support Project for Agricultural Value Chain Development (Padfa II), jointly funded by the government and the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD). It was disclosed in a tender notice for the selection of a consultant, recently announced by project coordinator Helène Misse Marigoh.

In an interview with Cameroon Tribune, Christian Kouebou, a post-harvest technology and nutrition specialist at IFAD, stated that the aim of these facilities is "to assist cooperatives and vulnerable producer organizations in rural areas, to better preserve their food resources, particularly onions." "We want to equip communities with modernized facilities," he added

It is noteworthy that for the second phase of Padfa, IFAD has pledged an investment of CFA28.5 billion into the rice and onion sectors from 2020 to 2026. For the onion industry in particular, the goal was to exceed production of 200,000 tons annually. Reportedly, during its first phase, Padfa significantly boosted the average income of onion producers by nearly 60%. Similarly, post-harvest losses saw a reduction of 10% within a year, from a pre-project initial estimate of 18%.