Story, Louvier Kindo Tombe
Cassava is part of everyday life in Cameroon. It appears on breakfast tables, in roadside meals, and at family gatherings. Yet for the millions of farmers who grow it, cassava rarely delivers stable income or economic security.
This contradiction was at the center of a working session organized by the Cameroon Economic Policy Institute (CEPI) on December 1, 2025, at Hôtel Franco and via Zoom. The session, themed “Cassava Value-Chain: How to Achieve Economic Transformation and Industrialization,” brought together researchers, farmers, agro-entrepreneurs, and policymakers to examine why one of Cameroon’s most important crops has failed to translate into wealth.
Opening the discussion, Henri Kouam, Founder of CEPI, noted that Cameroon produces close to 15 million tons of cassava each year, making it one of Africa’s largest producers.
Yet production remains dominated by smallholder farmers using traditional methods. Climate change, rising fertilizer costs, and limited mechanization continue to hold productivity down, while weak links to industrial markets keep farmers focused on survival rather than growth.
According to Dr. Sali Bourou, an agricultural researcher at the Institute for Research and Agricultural Development (IRAD), cassava farming is largely family-based and geared toward subsistence. Farmers process what they grow into familiar foods such as fufu and baton de manioc because industrial markets feel distant and uncertain.
He argued that institutional purchasing systems could create reliable demand and encourage farmers to scale, especially when combined with improved cassava varieties developed by IRAD to boost yields and resilience.
Policy incentives were also questioned. Ousmane Daibou, Board Chair of AAEDC, observed that measures such as zero import duties on agricultural inputs often benefit importers rather than farmers.
As a result, lower import costs do not translate into cheaper inputs for producers. Meanwhile, cassava’s industrial potential—bioethanol, starch, paper, and animal feed—remains largely untapped. The challenge, he argued, is not the absence of incentives but the failure to attract and inform serious investors.
For young entrepreneurs, the obstacles are even more severe. Léandre Fotso Simo, CEO of ETS Alpha Leader Corporate, highlighted land access as a major barrier. High land prices and legal constraints limit how much land youths can cultivate unless they operate as registered companies.
Without affordable and inclusive land-access mechanisms, cassava’s promise as a job-creating sector will remain out of reach for many young Cameroonians.
From the farmer’s perspective, Zogo Benoit, who cultivates more than three hectares of cassava, called for better coordination. He proposed creating a national registry of cassava farmers to map production and tailor policies to real needs.
He also advocated for a centralized purchasing system, pointing to South Korea’s rice model, where guaranteed demand allowed family farms to scale, stabilize incomes, and expand into export markets.
Others favored market-driven solutions. Ghislain Vorbain, an agro-entrepreneur, argued that free markets can work—if logistics improve.
He noted that up to 40% of cassava is lost during transport, cutting deeply into farmer incomes. Digital platforms could help link buyers and sellers, but low internet access limits their reach. His solution: bring processing closer to farms by encouraging local processing hubs in rural and peri-urban areas.
As the session closed, Henri Kouam announced that CEPI will publish a policy brief in 2026, translating these discussions into practical recommendations for policymakers.
Cassava feeds the nation. But until Cameroon connects its farms to factories, improves logistics, and creates incentives that truly reach farmers, the crop’s wealth will remain untapped—out of reach for the very people who depend on it most.
