Miller Magazine Issue: 127 July 2020

Cameroon 86 MILLER / JULY 2020 country recorded a deficit of more than 500,000 tons. “This deficit, which has persisted for several years, often forces brewing companies to resort to imports to meet their corn grits needs. The same applies to the poultry industry, for which corn constitutes up to 80% of prov- ender, the main chicken feed.” Due to this discrepancy between national corn production and the needs of in- dustries and the population, the Cameroonian govern- ment created the national support programme for the corn sector a few years ago. RICE Cameroon is also import-dependent country in rice, importing over 80% of its rice consumption. Cameroon imports approximately 650,000 tons rice into the country each year, while only 135,000 tons of rice is locally pro- duced. To make up the deficit, the government offers tech- nical and financial support to cooperatives and agro-indus- tries for the production of quality seeds, the vulgarization of modern rice production technics and the improvement of harvesting and post-harvest techniques through various projects. FEAR OF WHEAT FLOUR SHORTAGE Cameroon’s demand for wheat flour will be higher than projections this year because of the current health crisis caused by the coronavirus. Business in Cameroon claims that the country could experience a surge in the price of flour or a shortage. These fears are motivated by the decision taken by Russia, world's largest wheat exporter and Cameroon's main supplier, to suspend its exports until July 1, 2020. The Cameroonian govern- ment initially planned to import around 900,000 tons of wheat in 2020 against 830,000 tons in 2019. This volume was supposed to enable the production of about 715,000 tons of flour this year, representing an 8.3% year-over-year increase in production. ABOUT 2.6 MILLION PEOPLE SEVERELY FOOD INSECURE Conflict remains the major driver of food insecurity as it affects households’ livelihoods and access to food, significantly disrupting agricultural activities and trig- gering the increase in staple food prices. In Northwest and Southwest Anglophone regions, fighting between security forces and separatist armed groups persists since its eruption in October 2016. The security situation remains precarious also in Far North Region, where incursions of Boko Haram increased between November 2019 and January 2020 resulting in new population displacements. As of end January, about 680 000 people were estimated to be internally displaced in Northwest and Southwest regions and 297 000 in Far North Region, about 25 percent and 10 percent, respec- tively, above the number estimated in October 2019. Ac- cording to the March 2020 “Cadre Harmonisé” analysis , about 2.6 million people (11 percent of the population) were estimated to be severely food insecure. On 17 March 2020, the government announced the immediate adoption of measures to limit the spread of COVID-19, including the closure of borders, with the ex- ception of cargo ships and flights bringing food and essen- tial items. Although access to food seems not to be affect- ed by these measures, further restrictions on population movements could hamper access to land and negatively impact 2020 agricultural production. Corn Production, Consumption and Import in Cameroon (1000 Tons) 2017/18 2018/19 2019/20 Production 2345 2100 2100 Consumption 2300 2300 2200 Imports 15 15 30 Source: USDA Sorghum Production, Consumption and Import in Cameroon (1000 Tons) Corn Production, Consumption and Import in Cameroon (1000 Tons) 2017/18 2018/19 2019/20 Production 2345 2100 2100 Consumption 2300 2300 2200 Imports 15 15 30 Source: USDA Sorghum Production, Consumption and Import in Cameroon (1000 Tons) 2017/18 2018/19 2019/20 Production 1416 1200 1200 Consumption 1441 1225 1225 Imports 25 25 25 Source: USDA Rice Production, Consumption and Import in Corn Production, Consump ion and Import in Cameroon (1000 Tons) 2017/18 2018/19 2019/20 Production 2345 2100 2100 Consumption 2300 2300 2200 Imports 15 15 30 Source: USDA Sorghum Production, Consumption and Import in Cameroon (1000 Tons) 2017/18 2018/19 2019/20 Production 1416 1200 1200 Consumption 1441 1225 1225 Imports 25 25 25 Source: USDA Rice Production, Consumption and Import in Cameroon (1000 Tons) 2017/18 2018/19 2019/20 Production 210 230 230 Consumption 760 850 870 Imports 550 620 640 Source: USDA