Improving the quality and yield was one of the key objectives of a recent gathering in Kumba.

A one-day workshop organised to trained Focal Point personnel of the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development took place in Kumba on August 24, 2012. Organised by a Douala-based NGO, “Yeshope Consulting”, the workshop was aimed at training trainers on the use of cocoa and coffee fertilizer and to introduce the support programme in that sector and how the Focal Point personnel operate in the field.

Addressing the over 70 participants from Littoral, South and South West Regions, the Divisional Delegate of Agriculture and Rural Development, Meme, Jacob Fomo congratulated the Yeshope Consulting for organising such a workshop to train farmers on how to use fertilizer in their farms. The Delegate said it was but timely and called on the participants to make sure they make good use of what they have studied by training the rest of the farmers back in their various Regions.

According to the General Manager of Yeshope Consulting, Kikoumba Christine, the present economic context characterised by rising prices of cocoa and coffee, justifies why the government has put in place a programme for the revamping of cocoa/coffee sub-sectors. This is through actions such as maintenance of the existing plantations through fertilizer, the production of improved planting material and phytosanitary protection as well as the support project for the use of fertilizer in the cocoa and coffee sub-sectors (SPUF2C).

The global objective of the project is the improvement of the living conditions of cocoa and coffee producers through a support for the fertilization of their farms. The project also intends to specifically contribute in supporting the acquisition of fertilizer by cocoa and coffee farmers, capacity building of cocoa and coffee producers on the techniques of the production and utilisation of fertilizer.