According to statistics released Tuesday by the relevant departments of the Ministry of Livestock, Fisheries and Animal Industries, Cameroon’s fisheries production has increased in five years, from 205,000 tonnes to 285,000 tonnes.

This 80,000-tonne increase was between 2011 and 2016, pending release of the figures for the last two years that are currently being compiled.

According to the same source, this increase is due to the aquaculture development policy, with the construction of aquaculture centres in several localities in the country, including Douala, Kribi and Limbé.

However, despite this increase in production, supply is far from covering domestic demand estimated at nearly 400,000 tonnes of fish – a gap of 115,000 tonnes to be filled.

As a result, Cameroon spends more than 100 billion CFA francs each year on fish imports, which are the country’s second most imported consumer product after rice, whose purchase amounts to 135 billion CFA francs each year.