More commitment is expected from government while participants want a turn-around in production.
The first International Exhibition of Agricultural Machinery, IEAMC, has started in Yaounde, with organisers and participants hoping for a revolution in the sector. “I am very proud to be here to represent the President of the Republic, His Excellency, Paul Biya. Thanks for being here. This is a very important event. The technologies of today are being displayed for all Cameroonians to use them,” declared the Prime Minister, Head of Government, Philemon Yang as he officially opened the six-day international fair, yesterday December 16, 2015 at the Conference Centre in Yaounde.
The Chamber of Agriculture, Fisheries, Livestock and Forests of Cameroon, organisers of the event, say they have waited for the event since 2013. According to its President, Janvier Mongui Sossomba, the feast is grandiose, with the overall concern being that of improving agricultural yields through the effective use of innovative technology. The Head of State’s decision for the implantation of a tractor assembly plant in Ebolowa is yet to impact farmers, with Mongui Sossomba stressing that it was time to evaluate activities already taken in this regard. He also called for the rehabilitation of the National Centre for Studies and Experimentation of Agricultural Machinery, CENEEMA, which is in ruins. It is only by reinvigorating the centre that the quest for second-generation agriculture, with the use of innovative equipment will serve the purpose. Speakers at the event implored visitors, farmers and producers to explore avenues of south-south cooperation.
The Oscar Sarl company is one of many that has set up its hardware at the fair village, showcasing high pressure hoses, ridging ploughs, mouldboards, wheels for seed drills, and accessories for agricultural equipment. Claudio Osio, Chief Executive Officer of the company, sees in IEAMC an avenue to create business contacts, teach Cameroonians how to use their equipment, and use his technology to revolutionalise the agricultural sector. He stressed that they produce all kinds of flexible hoses for hydraulic circuits suitable for any type of machinery.
Likewise, visitors to the Marco company stand affirm that besides showcasing their technology, is the desire to get new business partners. Chibudem Bruno, manufacturer of corn and palm nut shellers as well as corn and cassava mills, expressed the wish for the fair to be held annually. “This is a way of bringing farmers and manufacturers closer,” he stated.
The Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, Henri Eyebe Ayissi, said the international fair was an opportunity to find lasting solutions to improving agricultural productivity in Cameroon. The fair, he added, goes beyond discovering technology. Rather, it offers the occassion to acquire processing skills that can sustain second-generation agriculture as wished by government.
