INAUGURATION OF AN INDUSTRIAL CASSAVA PROCESSING PLANT MACHINE

Few days ago, the Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, Gabriel Mbairobe, officially inaugurated the industrial cassava processing plant of the “Société coopérative des producteurs de manioc de Ngoulemakong”, located in the commune of the South region of Cameroon. The initiative, was worth more than 441 million frs CFA, and was made possible by the Agricultural Investment and Market Development Project , supported by the World Bank with funding of  50 billion frs CFA.

The industrial complex, the outcome of this fruitful partnership, is equipped with a production line for starch, tapioca starch or popularly known as “Gari” in most African countries and bread flour, with a monthly processing capacity of 550 tonnes, an average of 20 tonnes per day. These modern facilities were made possible by the Agricultural Investment and Market Development Project, with investments aimed at transforming traditional agriculture into a competitive industry geared towards commercialisation and industrialisation.

At the inauguration ceremony, Minister Mbairobe presented the “Société coopérative des producteurs de manioc de Ngoulemakong”, with a range of equipments, including tricycles, racks, gloves, machetes, overalls and sprayers. The equipments are designed to improve the efficiency of raw material collection, processing and marketing.

The plant is already renowned for the exceptional quality of its cassava flour, surpassing even that made from wheat. This high-quality flour is widely used by the World Food Program (WFP) to support refugee and famine-affected populations in Cameroon and other regions.

Ngoulemakong, one of Cameroon’s main cassava-producing areas, will now benefit from a direct outlet for its local farmers thanks to this processing plant. The Minister also announced that this plant is the first in a series of seven others, planned in different regions of the country during 2024, aligning this initiative with the objectives of the National Development Strategy 2020-2030, which focuses on import-substitution and food security.

Delia Nyadi