Minister hails Mukete Estate for promoting agriculture

The Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, Essimi Menye Lazare has showered praises on the Mukete Estate Limited, MEL, for adding her voice to that of the Head of State President Paul Biya in seeing to it that, the promotion of the second Generation Agriculture is achieved taking into consideration the fact that, it is one of the pillars for Cameroon to achieve its vision 2035 dream.

The Minister made this declaration while at the Plantations head office in Nkangmudikum, Kumba, chief town of Meme Division, South West Region, Friday 20th February 2015 during the last lap of his visit to the south-west region where he came for the launching of the 2015 farming season in Muyuka.

After a tour of the Estate that was created in 1910 with the cultivation of Cocoa, the minister marveled at what he saw in the Estate like the MEL oil palms Estate, the oil mill, cattle ranch, Hybrid Micro-Hydro/ Solar Electricity Project and the Pineapple farm.

He described the proprietor of the Estate that has a manpower of about 400, Senator Nfon V.E Mukete, Paramount Ruler of the Bafaws and Kumba, President of the South West Chiefs Conference and the Board Chairman of CAMTEL, as the first captain in Agroindustrial farming in Cameroon.

According to the Minister MEL, is really contributing to the second-generation agriculture, as he like others didn’t go in for the construction of houses but invested much in agriculture.

"I have seen Cocoa, Rubber, Pineapple, and Cattle in extensive quantity and it’s really impressive that Mukete Estate is the cornerstone for modern agriculture,” he said.

It’s against this backdrop that the Minister pledged that in the days ahead government through his ministry will in a partnership with the MEL try to enhance agriculture by distributing free improved palm seedlings to farmers. He equally promised to come to the assistance of the Estate.

Earlier in the welcome address by the government Delegate to the Kumba City Council, Victor Nkele Ngoh, the General Manager of MEL, Godfred Mbe Mukete hailed the Head of State on his drive in alleviating rural poverty by his constant support to farmers and agro-industrial units like the MEL.

The manager hinted that MEL was created in 1910 with just cocoa plantation as it focus, but over the years the plantation has improved with the cultivation of Rubber, Palms and Pineapple with the Rearing of Cattle in appreciable quantities and above all MEL the Manger maintain has about 300 workers.

The General Manager disclosed that the Estate in order to keep the workers comfortable, has provided them with schools electricity water and good housing facilities.

Though the Estate like any other agriculture outfit do have problems, like the need of a modern oil mill and assistance to improve on the Pineapple farm, the Manager noted that over the years the government has been assisting the Estate.

He mentioned that, in 2009 the government assisted the plantation with FCFA 15 million to carrying on various Agricultural projects within the plantation and assist other farming groups and recently the government equally pumped much chemicals to the plantation to fight cocoa disease.

The Minister went for a tour with the Governor of the South West Region, Bernard Okalia Bilai, the SDO for Meme Represented by his 1st ASDO left visibly satisfied with what he saw at the plantation.