(Business in Cameroon) - To improve the production of the Penja pepper and facilitate its access to international markets, the European Union (EU) representation in Yaoundé will support a development project led by Coleacp (Liaison Committee Europe-Africa-Caribbean-Pacific) with €720,000 (about XAF471.6 million).

"To meet the sanitary and phytosanitary challenges in a sustainable framework that respects traditional know-how, the Geographical Indication of Penja Pepper (IGPP) has obtained, thanks to the technical support of the Cameroon Chamber of Commerce, Industry, Mines and Handicrafts, a grant from the Standards and Trade Development Fund (STDF) (...). The STDF and its partners selected Coleacp to implement the project [until 2022]," says the project’s term sheet.

Penja pepper, considered one of the best peppers in the world, is the first protected geographical indication (PGI) in sub-Saharan Africa. It is grown in the Njombé-Penja area (the country's coastal region) and is a major source of rural employment.

With the completion of its labeling process in 2018, the price per kilogram of Penja pepper has risen from XAF2,500 to XAF14,000. However, for producers, its production is gradually turning into a nightmare because of pests that have taken over the land in the locality of Penja.

S.A.