(Business in Cameroon) - The growth rate of food crop production in Cameroon fell by 0.4% YoY in the first quarter of 2022, from 2.5% to 2.1%.

According to the National Institute of Statistics (INS), which revealed this figure in its report on national accounts for Q1 2022, this performance "remains dependent on the availability of fertilizer, whose prices are rising sharply on the market due to the Russia-Ukraine war.”

Fertilizers account for 17% of Cameroon's imports from Russia. This makes the country Cameroon’s leading supplier with a 43% market share, compared to only 11% for China.

The immediate consequence after the war between Russia and Ukraine started in February 2022 was an explosion in the cost of fertilizers and many other raw materials and inputs on the international market. This is because of the sanctions imposed on Russia, which was accused by its Western peers of invading a sovereign state. The cost of sea freight has also risen sharply and has further increased the cost of fertilizer and other input imports.

BRM