36 million for Tapioca factory at Ngoulemakong

The Unit of Processing and Marketing of Cassava in Ngoulemakong (Utracom) is a boon for the producers of this district of Dja-et-Lobo in the South.

The brand new factory for the production circuit has 10 industrial machines, will enable the development of the value chain.

It is a capital gain that will boost the production of cassava, in derivatives processing, including tapioca and marketing.

This was the hope the Minister of Small and Medium Enterprises, Social Economy and Handicrafts, (MINPMEESA), Laurent Serge Etoundi Ngoa, gave to farmers on Friday at the inauguration of the Utracom in Ngoulemakong.

According to MINPMEESA, who also chaired the 6th edition of the cassava festival, this town is laying the foundation for a second generation of agriculture regarding this product. "It shows the example with the improvement of cassava, from the primary level up to the next level," he said.

True cassava production area of the Southern Region, the unit of processing and marketing of cassava in Ngoulemakong (Utracom) is a boon for the producers of this district of Dja-et-Lobo in the South.

The new cassava processing plant tapioca, funded to nearly FCFA 36 million by the MINPMEESA, through the Programme to support the creation and development of agricultural processing in SME (ACDP / SME), will transform seven to eight tonnes of cassava per day.

Moreover, there will be the construction of another cassava processing plant, this time for the manufacture of pastry flour and starch. "The production of cassava can then be tripled, reaching 18 000 tonnes of cassava from next year," said a producer.

Regarding the celebrations of Cassava Day, Ngoulemakong producers instead came together for this great event. But some of the producers were absent; the rain which fell yesterday rendered farm roads impassable.

"This is one of the difficulties encountered by producers in Ngoulemakong. The roads have deteriorated and that is the obstacle for the flow of goods," said Florence Abessolo, a farmer.

Other problems faced by producers of this locality are the lack of quality seeds and technical training.