International workshop to boost production of roots, tubers, bananas on the way in Buea

With agriculture been regarded as the backbone for Africa’s emergence and development, strides by regional, national, sub-regional and international organisations as well as cooperate bodies and associations are on a daily basis seeking measures to boast the skills, empower and modernize agriculture so as to meet the sustainable development goals (SDG2) after the near failure of the millennium development goals, MDG. As a result of this, an international conception workshop to seeks ways of boosting the production of quality roots, tuber and banana foods is currently on the way in Buea, regional capital of the South West region. The international gathering which started last Monday was launched yesterday by the governor of the South West region, Bernard Okalai Biali in the presence of the French ambassador to Cameroon, H.E Gilles Thibault.

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Organized within the context of the RTBfoods project which has an initial budget of 11.5 million euros to span over a period of five years, the project will be implemented with five partner countries: Benin, Cameroon, Ivory Coast, Nigeria and Uganda.Drawing participants from Uganda, USA, Nigeria, Colombia, Ghana, Kenya, Peru, France, Ivory Coast, Benin, Belgium and the Uk amongst others, the RTB foods inception meeting is expected to come to an end on Sunday with participants ascending the Mount Cameroon.Within a week, the agricultural researchers from the world over will be expected to exchange knowledge on best practices and methods of improving yields of farm inputs such as cassava, yam, sweet potato, plantain and tropical potato.
With the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation as the main push factor behind the project, the researchers drawn from little over fifty local and international organisations primarily concerned with the research and development of agricultural products will at the end of their rendez vous be expected to make contributions on how to boost production and the implementation of the RTBfoods project.Meantime, speaking yesterday during the launching ceremony, Dr Namanga Ngongi, vice chair at the IITA BOT, said there is a need to not just increase the quantity of roots, tuber and banana foods but quality as well. Stating that there is a significant increase in demand which is often not matched by a corresponding increase in the quality supplied, he stressed on the importance of increasing production so as to ensure food security.Bertrand Ndemba Aristide, National plantain coordinator at the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development explained that though in Cameroon some three million tons of plantain are produced annually local demand which stands at five million tons coupled with the eight million ton demanded by CEMAC members states is yet to be satisfied. Thus an urgent need to increase output.
To the representative of PIDMA, a project placed under the Cameroonian Ministry of Agriculture and Rural development better known in French as le Projet d'Investissement et Développement des Marchés Agricoles, Ngue Bissa, the government had engaged in a series of measures aimed at aggregating locally producers.

Amongst them he said include the signing of over 300 cooperatives who benefit from government’s assistance to produce their farms products as well as for the marketing of their output. He also said still within the same frame work, the some 22 cooperatives concerned specifically with the production of cassava have already been signed with PIDMA and area benefiting from financial assistance and improved seedlings.

Presenting the agricultural prowess of the nation considered as the breadbasket of the CEMAC sub region, Denis Depommier, the regional Director of CIRAD, a French research centre working with developing countries to tackle international agricultural and development issues, Denis Depommier, Cameroon has a huge agricultural potential which is yet unexploited.Faced to pressmen, at the end of the launching ceremony yesterday, French ambassador to Cameroon, His Excellency, Gilles Thibault, described the rendez vous as “very important” adding that food and nutrition safety in African is a major challenge which is marred by climate change, markets factors, and consumer preferences amongst others.