(Business in Cameroon) - Within 8 years, 800 hectares of fields to be used for rice growing were arranged in Cameroon thanks to the support programme for agriculture development (Projet d’appui au développement des filières agricoles -Padfa). This was revealed during a review of this  CFA11.7 billion programme (of which the International Fund for Agricultural Development contributed 15%).

During the 8 years of its implementation, this programme helped support 1,276 groups (constituted of 25,140 rice and onion producers) by providing high yield seeds. Those rice growers now produce up to 6 tons per hectare in the low-lying lands.

Despite this increase in production, the country still imports rice. Indeed, the local production is estimated at 100,000 tons while the demand is above 300,000 tons annually.

BRM