CASSAVA AND ITS DERIVATIVES
Within the framework of the import-substitution policy driven by the Government of Cameroon, the cassava value chain - production, processing and marketing - will be an essential asset. The Government and its partners in the secondary sector of the economy are working hard to see that SOTROMAS S.A (a company specialising in the industrial processing of cassava), based in Sangmelima in the South Region, is able to operate at full capacity.
With this in mind, a consultation meeting was held on 27 March 2024 in Douala, with a view to reducing wheat imports, which according to official figures stand at 800,000 tonnes a year. Paradoxically, the running capital of SOTROMAS consists of contributions from the Sangmelima municipal council (51%), CCIMA (30%) and third parties (19%). SOTROMAS was set up in 2013 and is currently experiencing a shortage of raw materials. Faced with this constraint, the Growth Sectors Network Centre (CRFC) is taking the bull by the horns.
The restructuring of SOTROMAS has produced convincing results over the past two years, with the creation of a factory capable of producing 120 tonnes per day. On 15 January 2024, the Ministry of the Economy, Planning and Regional Development (MINEPAT) financed a 44-hectare seed field, and four agreements were signed between SOTROMAS and local cassava farmers in the South region, bringing the total area already under cultivation to 415 hectares. In a show of support, the Mayor of Sangmelima has offered 200 hectares of land for cassava farming.
SOTROMAS hopes to market 10,000 tonnes of finished products per year over the next five years, and 30,000 tonnes at full capacity. This ambition will be realised through the establishment of 150 ha of seed fields per year, 300 ha of cassava production fields per year and the acquisition of nearly 4,000 tonnes of cassava tubers this year before actual production.
The project is also expected to create nearly 200,000 direct jobs and 1,000 jobs in the community, and a number of entrepreneurs have been won over by the guarantees offered by SOTROMAS, which is committed to promoting "Made in Cameroon" products. All these initiatives are in line with the government's desire to boost local consumption
Summary of an article by Gibrile Kenfack Tsabdo, Cameroon Business Today, No. 357, Wednesday 03 to 09/04/2024.