Jackai Derrick Mosima, Regional Delegate of the Ministry of Trade for the Centre.

Tell us about the ongoing caravan?

On Friday, we launched the second phase of the caravan to sell basic commodities around mosques to start preparing for the end of the Ramadan. Muslims told us that they do a lot of shopping at the beginning and at the end of Ramadan. They mostly buy rice, sugar, sardines, tea and other products.

There will be a second caravan for basic commodities destined for civil servants. It will be stationed in front of the "Immeuble Rose" Ministerial Building as from today, Monday. Another caravan will visit some neighbourhoods as from tomorrow, Tuesday. It will start at the Soa market on Tuesday; Mfou market on Wednesday; and the University of Yaounde 1 at Obili on Thursday and will end on Friday at Rond Point Express in Biyem-Assi. That will be the third caravan. The caravan also goes to Soa, Mfou, Ngoumou, Akono, Mbankomo.

Besides basic commodities, have you planned caravans to sell school items?

A group of bookshops that call themselves "Collective des Librairies Citoyennes" has a contract with the Ministry of Trade to organise caravans during this back-to-school period. Because the Centre Region is vast with 10 Divisions, we have five booksellers who will serve two Divisions each. Although some started on Friday, there will be a solemn launch on Wednesday at Ombessa. Furthermore, in the city of Yaounde, we have put in place a partnership with the trade union of bookshops, that is, a network of about 45 Reference Bookshops. These bookshops respect the fixed prices just like the reference markets and reference stores while the caravans sell at cheaper prices. The Back-to-School Caravan goes to areas where there are no bookshops. They will cover 38 areas in the Centre region.

What about the Chicken Reference Markets?

These markets are managed by the Ministry of the Economy, Planning and Regional Development, MINEPAT and the Inter-Professional Association of Poultry Framers, IPAVIC. IPAVIC signed an agreement with the government where the latter grants subventions to enable them to sell a chicken at FCFA 2,200. They have built a sales point at Mbankolo.