The  FCFA 10.3 billion allocated to the Institute of Agricultural Research for Development (Irad) last July by the Head of State for the revival of the wheat sector in Cameroon is already being put to good use.

For the revival of wheat cultivation in Cameroon, it is necessary to start by making available to producers, seeds. It is with this in mind that three seed fields were launched last July 29 in the Adamaoua region, the region that housed the former Cameroon Wheat Development Corporation (Sodéblé). The sites in question are Wakwa, Wassandé (45 ha for 180 tonnes expected) and Mbang-Mboum (3 ha for 12 tonnes of seed expected).

According to Noé Woin, one should not expect a sudden break in wheat imports only a few months after the launch of the campaign simply because the project, still in the implementation phase, will not produce enough seed immediately. Instead, “you have to wait at least two or three years for the seeds to be multiplied in full scale,” he says.
He adds that this will happen in an orderly and gradual fashion until the end of the five-year wheat revival project. “From the 2023 crop year, we will progressively launch the production of basic seeds on a large scale of varieties with confirmed qualities with Minader so that beneficiaries, cooperatives, agricultural companies can take over with the aim of associating the country’s economic fabric based on the wheat value chain.