(Business in Cameroon) - The scarcity of broiler chicken on the Cameroonian market for some weeks now, direct consequence of the bird flu epizooty which broke out in May 2016, then resisted until the beginning of this year 2017 in the main production area of the country (Western region), gave ideas to some economic operators.

Taking advantage of the porous borders with neighbouring countries such as Gabon, Nigeria, Chad or Equatorial Guinea, those operators managed, with the assistance of some customs officers, we learned, to import cargoes of frozen chicken in the Cameroonian market.

In Yaoundé, the capital, these products banned since 2006 are nevertheless for sale in markets, particularly fishmongers. Prices for this food products vary between FCfa 1,800 and 2,000 per kilogram, against FCfa 4,500 to 6,000 for a live chicken of 2.5 kg.

As a reminder, operators in the Cameroonian poultry sector estimate at FCfa 16 billion the losses caused by the last bird flu epizooty, which resulted in the destruction of important cargo of layers and eggs, making it difficult for farmers to access their main raw material, one-day chicks.

BRM