(Business in Cameroon) - The Association of Oleaginous Refiners of Cameroon (ASROC), through its General Secretary, Jacquis Kemleu Tchabgou,, announced during a press conference in Yaoundé that the country is about to import a total of 31,000 tons of palm oil in the coming days.

“The use of the current import authorisation for 96,000 tons of palm oil and by-products, approved on 09 December 2016 by the Minister of Finance, is effective through the arrival of about 21,000 tons of crude palm oil and the shipment in a few days of another 10,000 tons”, declared Mr. Kemleu Tchabgou,

According to him, the authorised volume for import will enable to build up security stock by ensuring the availability of refined vegetable oils and household soap. This should help avoid the inflation which could have appeared due to the deficit im the crude palm oil offer and consequently in refined vegetable oils and household soap.

We must say that this palm oil import approval is the result of the structural deficit of 130,000 tons and unfavourable climate conditions in 2016 which suggested that the production would continue to drop by 20% in 2017.

As a reminder, ASROC gathers the companies SCR Maya et Cie, Azur SA, Sodecoton SA, SCS/Rafca, Spfs, Cco SA, and Saagry who produce 95% of refined vegetable palm, cotton and soja oils, and 90% of household soaps available in Cameroon's commercial world.

Sylvain Andzongo