Miller Magazine Issue: 127 July 2020

Cameroon 85 MILLER / JULY 2020 dustries, especially the brewery industry. Corn production in the country increased from 263 tons in 1970 to 2,100 tons in 2019, growing at an average annual rate of 5.84%. According to FAO’s last Cameroon report, there are con- cerns over 2020 cropping season in Northwest and South- west regions due to insecurity. Seasonal rains started on time at the beginning of March in southern parts of the country, allowing the beginning of planting activities of the 2020 main season corn crop, to be harvested from July. In the uni modal rainfall areas of the North, planting of sorghum and millet is expected to begin in May. Insecurity and displacements in the Northwest and Southwest regions are expected to continue affecting agricultural activities and limit farmers’ access to fields. In the bimodal Centre and South regions, harvesting of the 2019 secondary season corn crop was completed in January 2020, while the main season corn harvest was concluded in September 2019. In the uni modal North and Far North regions, where sorghum and millet crops are predominantly grown, harvesting of the 2019 crops finalized last November. Adequate and well distributed rains during the season, coupled with a slight increase in plantings, resulted in a near average national cereal output in 2019, estimated at about 3.4 million tonnes. In Northwest and Southwest Anglophone regions, per- sisting civil unrest disrupted agricultural practices and ham- pered farmers’ access to land. In these regions, production of crops in 2019 is estimated well below the five year av- erage level. In the Far North Region, despite the civil unrest that spread from neighbouring Nigeria since late 2014, the 2019 cereal output is estimated at near average levels due to overall favourable weather conditions and a slight in- crease in planted area. However, below average outputs were obtained in the districts of Zina, Maga, Gobo and Kai Kai, along the Lagone river, where excessive cumula- tive precipitation amounts in September and October 2019 caused flooding with damage to standing crops and har- vested grains. CORN Cameroon produced 2.3 million tons of corn in 2019/2020 season according to Business in Cameroon magazine. This production was unable to meet national demand, which, stood at a little over 2.8 million tons. This means that during the period under review, the