(Business in Cameroon) - Over the past two weeks, in Garoua, the regional capital of the North, corn sellers have been giving 100kg-sacks at prices ranging from XAF20,000 to 23,000. About three weeks ago, this same sack was sold to consumers at XAF16.500. According to sellers who are happy with this price hike, the situation is due to massive exports to Nigeria.

“Many foreigners have started coming to buy from sellers. The buyers are mainly Nigerians who come for large quantities of our products. But for them, the price of corn would not have exceeded XAF18,000 or 19,000 per sack. Anyway, we as sellers are happy that Nigerians are coming for our products. Recently, we are having many clients and business is good,” explains Abdoulaye Ahmadou, a trader at Garoua central market, to regional tri-weekly L’œil du Sahel.

Local authorities explained that the corn exports to Nigeria, which sellers are happy about, can cause hunger in the Northern region where cereals are staples. This pressure put on the local corn market by Nigerians is heightened by the harsh climate, which is negatively affecting production, and the impacts of elephants destroying cornfields. This phenomenon of elephants destroying crops has become a usual occurrence in the country’s northern regions where there are several animal parks.

 BRM