Distilled grain business boom in Douala

Sellers of distilled grain have disclosed how profitable the activity has become recently. Dealers in this farm animal feed noted that, they are able to make returns of about 100,000 F in a month; the main reason why sellers of these wastes are satisfied with the business.

Valentin Mboe has been involved in this trade for over 15 years. Running his grain business in the open air around a place called "ancien abattoir", near Brasseries du Cameroun, this man makes good money from the trade.

"I sell distilled grains as my main job. It earns me enough money to feed my family, pay my rent and my children's tuition. It is somewhat the source of our livelihood," he said.

He explained further that, he usually makes a profit of 100,000 F though the figure varies from month to month. For months that sales are not good, he makes sales of 80,000 F. "I sell a bag for 1,800 or 1,700 F on days that the sales are not good," the vendor said.

Alain another distilled grain seller explained that, he had an honest farmer as his customer hence encounters little trouble in his business. "I get a profit margin of 8,000 to 10,000 F per tonne of grain", added Alain.

He explained that initially, the activity was not as profitable as this mixture of sorghum, maize and wheat was only used to feed pigs. But now, it has become popular on farms as it's used to feed fish, goats, sheep and poultry. This is what has made it a profitable business.