Peter Kum*
4 September 2008
The Southwest Provincial Delegation of Agriculture and Rural Development, has assured farmers in the province that they would soon benefit from a consignment of more than a thousand cartons of pesticides.
Speaking during a meeting in his office, August 25, the Delegate, Lawrence Forwang Nyakangah, said 245 cartons, 11,725 Gawa30AC litres, and 948 kg of 70WG of insecticides worth FCFA 149 million, would be distributed to cocoa and coffee farmers to boost production.
Asked why the meeting with the Southwest Farmers Co-operative Union, SOWEFCU Ltd, Nyakangah said it was to mutually come up with a workable distribution strategy to ensure that the chemicals get to the farmers safely.
"Many fraudulent activities take place before the pesticides reaches the farmers. So, we need to revamp the distribution structures, especially SOWEFCU and make sure that this Ministerial support doesn't end up in some black markets," said the Delegate, adding that he was also motivated by the low agricultural output in the province, particularly in the cocoa and coffee sector.
Measures
Besides the pesticides, the Delegate said another meeting would be held with SOWEFCU board members in Kumba on September 5, during which strategies on how to distribute the chemicals to farmers would be drawn.
A monitoring committee would also be set up to assist SOWEFCU function effectively to make fungicide available to farmers.
Expectations
While lauding the efforts of farmers who have returned to their farms, Njakangah said he expects coffee and cocoa production among others to double or even triple by 2011, since the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development is now committed to encouraging farmers by providing chemicals and fertilisers in good quantities free or at subsidised rates.
He, however, warned that he would not take it lightly with any of his staff who tries to stand in the way of success.Reacting to the Delegate's call for real commitment, the SOWEFCU General Manager, Victor Nkelle Njoh, assured him that he and his members would put all hands on deck to see to it that production doubles by 2011.
*(UB Journalism Student On Internship)
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