Some 49 Common Initiative Groups benefited from the FCFA 15 million SOWEDA offer.

Some 49 Common Initiative Groups from all the six Divisions of the South West are happy beneficiaries of farm inputs worth over FCFA 15 million. The official handing over ceremony, chaired by South West Governor, Bernard Okalia Bilai, on Wednesday August 1, at the South West Development Authority (SOWEDA) premises, underscored government’s policy of guaranteeing food self-sufficiency.

The essential farm inputs comprised of bags of fertilizers, litres of herbicides, litres of insecticides, packets of fungicides, improved beans and maize seeds, etc. Highlighting the importance of the gifts, the General Manager of SOWEDA, Dr. Eneme Andrew Ngome noted that the gesture was for increased food productivity especially at a time of increasing demand and depleting soils.

He said though with limited resources, SOWEDA will spare no effort to source funding for the improvement of the agricultural sector in the Region and provide farmers with farm inputs at subsidized prices. Appreciating the gesture, the representatives of the beneficiaries called for such initiatives to be undertaken on a regular basis, for more farm-to-market roads and for more markets to sell food items.

Governor Bernard Okalia Bilai, in his address, challenged the youths to discard obnoxious practices like crime and get involved in farming not only to boost food production but to ensure that the South West remains the breadbasket of Cameroon. In a symbolic gesture, the Governor handed over some of the inputs to farmers and stressed government's commitment to support and aid the farming population.