Cameroon’s Maize Imports Surge by 229% in 2023, Reaching Five-Year High
Cameroon’s maize imports soared by 229% in 2023, hitting 39,991.3 tons worth CFA7.8 billion, per National Institute of Statistics. The surge follows a rebound from a 64.4% drop in 2022. A maize processing plant at Compagnie Fermière du Cameroun (CFC), a subsidiary of Société Anonyme des Boissons du Cameroun (SABC), reduces imports. CFC supports 30,000-40,000 farmers to boost local maize production. Factors include decreased production at Maïscam and increased demand in the poultry sector.
(Business in Cameroon) – Cameroon’s maize imports witnessed a staggering increase in 2023, surging by 229% compared to the previous year, according to the recently released External Trade Report by the National Institute of Statistics (INS). After a 64.4% decline in 2022, maize imports rebounded, reaching 39,991.3 tons, valued at CFA7.8 billion.
Data analysis reveals that 2023 marks Cameroon’s highest maize import volume in the five-year period from 2018 to 2023. Previously, the peak import volume was recorded in 2021, with 34,100 tons. This is a substantial increase from the import figures of 13,700 tons, 14,600 tons, and 19,600 tons in 2018, 2019, and 2020, respectively.
This resurgence in Cameroon’s maize imports post-2021 coincides with the strengthening of local supply, following the commissioning of a maize processing plant within the Compagnie Fermière du Cameroun (CFC) in November 2021, as highlighted in the INS report. CFC, a subsidiary of the agro-industrial company Société Anonyme des Boissons du Cameroun (SABC), under the ownership of the French conglomerate Castel, boasts an annual production capacity of 30,000 tons of maize grits (used in beer production). This processing facility enables Cameroon’s leading brewery to meet its entire maize grits requirement locally, thereby reducing maize imports.
To ensure a steady supply of raw materials, CFC has committed to supporting 30,000 to 40,000 farmers organized in cooperatives to develop maize fields covering around 12,000 hectares. The resulting maize grits production supplements the roughly 10,000 tons purchased annually from Maïscam, a company based in the Adamaoua region in the northern part of the country.
The surge in maize imports in Cameroon in 2023 could be attributed to two factors. Firstly, a slowdown in maize grits production at Maïscam or within the cooperatives supported by CFC, which necessitated imports to meet SABC’s grits production needs. Secondly, a spike in maize purchases by players in the national poultry sector, where 80% of animal feed is maize-based.
Source Link : https://www.businessincameroon.com/agriculture/1405-13833-cameroons-maize-imports-surge-by-229-in-2023-reaching-five-year-high
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