(Business in Cameroon) - Official data from the agriculture department shows that last year, grain producers in the Far North managed to reduce the region's deficit to 15,249 tons. Although the deficit remained weighty, it was significantly lower than the 74,560 tons recorded in 2021.

According to Minister Gabriel Mbairobe, the deficit reduction could have been more significant, but for the “sharp increase in the prices of inputs (mainly fertilizers) and phytosanitary products following the war in Ukraine, and the flooding episodes that took place in the Far North and North regions in August 2022.”

As a reminder, the grain deficit exploded in 2021 due to attacks by armyworm and grain-eating birds, and the destruction of thousands of hectares of plantations by elephants, according to the Ministry of Agriculture.

The almost permanent cereal deficit in the Far North region of Cameroon makes this region one of the most exposed to food insecurity. The agriculture ministry forecasts that between June and August 2023, many people in the Far North will enter a food crisis phase.

BRM