(Business in Cameroon) - In Cameroon, measures are being suggested to avoid the recurrence of the recent beef price rise experienced in local markets. Indeed, last January 6, State Minister Ferdinand Ngoh Ngoh sent a direct correspondence to Minister of Livestock Dr. Taïga inviting him to organize the cattle industry to "avoid any future recurrence of the phenomenon of rising beef prices recently observed.”
The measures suggested by the state minister include the resolution of all the problems identified in the industry. Those problems are notably the insufficient local supplies, strong reliance on imports, lack of self-financing options for butchers, lack of supervision for involved actors, and the slow implementation of the Etoudi livestock market project.
According to a high-ranking official of the Ministry of Livestock, the instructions contained in the correspondence are being reviewed. Meanwhile, some operators of the Cameroonian beef industry believe that the roadmap contained in the correspondence seems like an embarrassment for the Ministry of Livestock whose works have not produced tangible results in the local beef market.
Meanwhile, according to the Enterprises Upgrading Office of Cameroon, in 2019, Cameroon produced a little over 107,000 tons of beef, outperforming the poultry sector, which used to supply Cameroon with most of its meat production. Nevertheless, it is worth noting that this performance was achieved after two avian flu outbreaks that weakened the poultry industry in 2016 and 2017.
BRM