Far-reaching conclusions crowned the ministry’s three-day annual conference last Thursday.

“We will work to prosper Cameroon.” This is the commitment taken by the Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development (MINADER), Essimi Menye, as he rounded off three days of deliberations with officials of the internal and external services of his ministry last Thursday February 16 in Yaounde. Recommendations that crowned the conference touched key areas in enhancing second generation agriculture.

Mechanisation

After presentations and plenary discussions on the need to match mechanisation and technological development, participants recommended the consolidation of institutional partnerships and rendering agriculture more attractive. This is especially to the youths who are not only energetic, but also easy to adapt to innovation. Ensuring high-level training on modern agricultural techniques, carrying out a study on mechanisation and the choice of what technology to adopt, among others, are in the pipeline. Training sessions are scheduled to enable youths to handle the over 100 tractors to be distributed to research centres and other institutions.

Seed Production

Seed production, like any other economic activity in the country, dwindled with the economic crisis. With a timid take off following a 2001 legal instrument guiding the sector, Cameroon today boasts of a national laboratory of international standards, ten well-equipped regional laboratories and a seed conservation room. Statistics show that the country as at 2011 had 1,105 seed farmers. Henceforth, efforts will be geared towards rehabilitating seed farms, pursue the certification of seeds and above all, set up a stock of seeds of all species.

The ministry plans to produce 20 million cocoa and coffee seedlings this year. Much more, there has been a resolve for synergy in action between all stakeholders, notably with the Institute for Agricultural Research for Development (IRAD) that has expertise in improved seed production. Henceforth, seed production and multiplication farms will be multiplied and new distribution centres opened to get seeds to the most remote parts of the country.

Rice, maize

Target is to produce 750,000 tons of rice by 2020 which will help to constitute a stock of 150,000 tones. Private and public initiatives will be better coordinated to ensure success. As for maize, actors prayed for improved technology as well as increase in cultivable land so that annual production can hit 2.2 million tones in 2015 and 4 million tones in 2020.