South producers build on agricultural markets

The project in question took place recently in Ebolowa.

The next five years promise decisive for cassava and maize producers of the South region. Indeed, the latter will have the support of the powers under the Investment Project and development of agricultural markets (Pidma).

This project of the Cameroonian government funded by the World Bank, aims to help investment and especially in market development. The objective of Pidma therefore, contribute to the transformation of subsistence farming of cassava, maize and sorghum characterized by low productivity, commercial agriculture, with strings of competitive values in the five agro-ecological zones in Cameroon.

At the launch of this project in the southern region, Thomas Ngué Bissa, the National Coordinator of Pidma mainly explained to the beneficiaries who consist mainly of cooperatives, the impact of this project on their direct income and on the economy.

Pidma in its operational phase intends to mobilize nearly 300 cooperatives representing 30,000 households, or 120,000 direct beneficiaries with at least 50% women. Because the project attracts many advantages in terms of dividends, it will only benefit cooperatives that their texts harmonized with those of the OHADA.

"The new cooperatives formulas which, for a long time have had to produce can now have a bearing on the whole chain of values especially starting from production to processing through marketing that has always been the poor relation of their activities" , informed Jean Blaise BamaYangouna, Pidma coordinator in Central, South and East. A salutary deemed declaration for Louise Sylvie MezeneMvaébeme, Chair of the Board of Directors of the agropastoral Cooperative in Bityili, a suburb of Ebolowa.

According to the producer, "it's much more the marketing aspect that interests us in this project. For we are already mature in the production and processing. It's the marketing that was our soft underbelly, "she acknowledged.

In the field, monitoring of producer organizations will be made by the decentralized structures of the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development. "This is a working synergy of all stakeholders in the field.

This is not just a matter of Pidma which is a secular arm of the state for funding. The other structures in synergy with us will accompany the beneficiaries on the ground, "reassured Mr. BamaYangouna.