Palm oil production in the country is far below demand. Experts say the national supply shortfall is in the neighbourhood of 110,000 metric tonnes annually. Annual national production is about 200,000 metrics tonnes. This comes from agro-industries which produce about 140,000 metric tonnes and private producers (about 70,000 metrics tonnes). In the market, price per litre is about FCFA 700 and about FCFA 13,500 and FCFA 14,000 for a 20-litre container. Customers in the market are not complaining a lot because the FCFA 700 per litre price has been on for some time. But observers say laundry soap; margarine and mayonnaise industries dealing in palm oil by-products lack sufficient raw materials. Proof is that the price per cube of savon now ranges from FCFA 275 to FCFA 350, up from FCFA 200 to FCFA 250 some years back.
Two projects are on course in the country to bridge the demand-supply gap and in so doing improving on the income-generating potentials of farmers. These are the FCFA 2.3 billion project for improving the income generating potentials of the palm oil sector in the West and Central African Regions, notably in Nigeria and Cameroon. There is also the programme for the development of palm oil in the villages.
In a chat with Cameroon Tribune yesterday March 6, the Coordinator of the former project, Chief Mbi Oruh Michael, said although the project effectively took off later than planned, it has however gained steam and is on a right track. “We are almost completing the civil engineering works in Bakingili, Limbe. We have a five-tonne per hour mill. So, what we are doing is to renovate the building,” he said. Preparations, he added, are ongoing in another pilot centre in Sombo, some few kilometres from Yaounde. “Contractors have already signed their contract. This site has a capacity of two tonnes per hour.” Tenders have been sent out for the third site in Manyu Division. “You know we do tenders from an international point of view. It should also be taking off any time from now,” the Coordinator noted. Hitherto problems for the site in Ngie, Momo Division have been cleared. “I have just had conformation that the site has been approved officially. I have already the terms of reference for the tender. He disclosed that engineering equipment, everything being equal, should be in Cameroon before October this year.
Target is to increase the income potentials of the rural people. “We have organised communities into 400 to 500 farmers per group and we are going to try to improve on their living standards. We want to stop rural exodus. We want to increase the yields. When you increase productivity, you increase competitiveness and that is putting money in peoples’ pockets. ,” Chief Mbi Oruh said.
