(Business in Cameroon) - In 2020, Cameroon imported 860,000 tons of wheat, up by 30,000 tons year on year. The figures are revealed by the Enterprises Upgrading Office BMN in its report on the strategic positioning of the cereals processing and by-products sector published last August 25 in Douala. Overall, the country spent close to XAF150 billion on those imports, the report adds. With 300,000 tons of wheat exported to Cameroon, Russia was the main supplier that year followed by Canada (144,000 ton), France (117,000 tons), and the USA (54,000 tons), the BMN study explains.

Since the  collapse of national wheat company SODEBLE in 1980, Cameroon has been importing all of the wheat it consumes. For instance this year, the Minister of Commerce and operators in the wheat sector estimate the volume of wheat to be imported by the country at 900,000 tons.

Since Cameroon is a renowned wheat importer, it has become a good business ground for international dealers like French group CEREALIS. In 2015, Remi Depoix, CEREALIS CEO, revealed that every year, his group exports close to 200,000 tons of cereals to Cameroon, generating about 20% of its turnover.

But, to reduce its heavy wheat imports, in collaboration with the Institute of Agricultural Research for Development (IRAD), the country is currently testing the wheat varieties that could consistently grow on Cameroonian soils. Experimental farms yielding four tons of wheat per hectare have been developed in areas like Wassandé (Adamaoua), Banyo (Adamoua), and Bamenda (North-West).

Brice R. Mbodiam