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Cameroon: 2008 Agriculture Season - Farmers Promised Good Quality Inputs
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Cameroon Tribune (Yaoundé)
21 April 2008
Posted to the web 21 April 2008
Choves Loh
The course for a successful farming season in 2008 has been charted with the Vice Prime Minister, Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, Jean Nkuete stating government's commitment to significantly lift the living standards of the population.
Launching the season for the seven southern provinces in Bamenda, Jean Nkuete said the commitment will be enhanced with the C2D, MINADER, MINEPIA Projects and programmes to go operational in 2008. From the look of things, it will be a new take off for the nation's agriculture this time around. The Vice P.M revealed efforts to guarantee the availability of quality seeds in all agricultural sectors and the commitment to make fertilizer available and more assessable plus a partnership with the private sector that could improve investment in agriculture.
It was a happy communion with farmers during which the Vice P.M stressed the challenge and commitment by the government to consolidate food self sufficiency and reduce the importation of agricultural products especially rice and maize. He used the occasion to announce the re-introduction of the Agro-pastoral Show with the town of Ebolowa giving the kick off in 2009.
He cheered North West farmers for large scale production of vegetables and animal products.
Farmers from the seven provinces had enough to take home from the event with tons of farm tools and inputs to enhance production in 2008. Amongst the lot were truck loads of fertilizer, wheel barrows, dig axes, hoes, watering Cans, Spades etc.
The rare moment inspired farmers to appreciate opportunities to improve production with projects to show for fighting pests, root and tuber development programme, the plantain revival sub sector, small holder oil palm development and Inland Valley development programmes and the maize sector development support programme. Speaking for the farmers, Kuh Emmanuel Lo-ah appealed for a drop in the cost of fertilizer, chemicals and seeds. The farmers told the Vice Prime Minister about difficulties in evacuating farm produce because of poor roads, late arrival of grants, ghost farming groups funded by the Ministry and unfair competition between professional farming groups especially in the seed multiplication sector. The farmers expressed disappointment with MIDENO maize seeds which Kuh Emmanuel said are causing problems with differences in quality and prices on the local market.
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Input dealers also took time off hailing homologation procedures to ensure quality products. Ngufor Peter Njontor, an Input Dealer was unhappy with people who hide behind their official functions and operate as businessmen in the night. He challenged them to resign their posts and compete in the open market. Input Dealers want an acceleration of the clearance of agricultural Inputs through the nation's Sea and Airports and the need to take peasant farmers seriously and consult them when incentives are necessary instead of giving them wheel barrows often meant for the construction industry.
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| Copyright © 2008 Cameroon Tribune. All rights reserved. Distributed by AllAfrica Global Media (allAfrica.com). To contact the copyright holder directly for corrections -- or for permission to republish or make other authorized use of this material, click here. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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