Analysis of Agri-Food Trade Structures
To Promote Agri-Food Trade Networks
In the Islamic Countries
91
Another important trade flow is in palm oil which has changed over time. In 2005, palm oil was
Cameroon's most exported product to the entire region with values of 6.260 in millions of USD
traded, but by 2016, palm oil had become third most imported product from Gabon. Intra
CEMAC trade flows of palm oil in Cameroon have been impacted by stagnant productivity in the
sector, and absence of appropriate government responses. As of 2014, “no fertilizer
manufacturing plant existed in the country, thus there is heavy reliance on imports with no
subsidy in the cost of inputs and most producers record meagre yields in their plantations”.
56
On the other hand, the consistent success of exports in edible products of animal origin reflects
in part how Cameroon’s livestock sector is quickly transforming into a “more cattle-oriented,
market-orientated system which is an important source of revenue for about 30% of the rural
population.”
57
While organized around traditional smallholders, the Cameroonian livestock
industry depends on a well-structured and longstanding market system to facilitate trade.
Overall, the trade between Cameroon and its CEMAC counterparts is in most cases
underestimated. While Cameroon belongs to the CEMAC and is thus subject to a formal RTA that
seeks to foster greater formal trade, the informal trade is a non-negligible element of trade
networks accounting for 96% of official trade in agricultural and horticultural products in
2008.
58
These trade trends are attributable to a range of factors of which non-compliance with
tariff and non-tariff barrier policies, is the most salient.
In addition to being the primary trading partner for each member state Cameroon is also one of
the lead exporters within the informal trade networks.
59
Trade flows between member
countries are often unaccounted within national accounts, distorting reported values of inter-
regional trade.
60
In their research on informal cross-border trade within the CEMAC region,
Nkendah, Nzouessin and Njoupouognigni find that in 2008, 37 billion CFAF (69 million USD)
worth of agriculture and horticultural products were exported to the CEMAC region. Broken
down by a select number of countries in the CEMAC, informal trade within Central Africa
amounted to 4.5 billion CFAF (8.5 million USD) to Gabon informally, 17.9 billion CFAF (33
million USD) to Guinea, 2.9 billion CFAF (5.4 million US) to Congo and 1.6 billion CFAF (3 million
USD) to the Central African Republic.
61
Notwithstanding the barriers to cross-border trade that curtail the impact of RECs, the
government has taken steps towards developing a more robust agricultural policy that can fulfil
its priorities and mobilize its potential to become a regional hub. These efforts include the
Agricultural Value Chain Development Project (AVC-DP). The project has a vision, outlined in
the 2010-2020 Growth and Employment Strategy Paper (GESP) that focuses on three pillars: (i)
growth, (ii) employment, (iii) governance and strategic management of the state.
62
To
implement this project the government has focused on developing value chains for plantain,
pineapple and palmoil through 100 kmof rural roads, 30 shops, 15 rural markets and laboratory
56
Raymond N. Nkongho et al. (2014).
“Strengths and weaknesses of the smallholder oil palm sector in Cameroon”, OCL, 21:2,
D208
57
Pamo E. T. (2008). Country Pasture/Forage Resource Profiles CAMEROON. Tech. Rep., Food and Agriculture Organization
of the United Nations.
58
Nkendah, R., C. B. Nzouessin, and M. Njoupouognigni. (2014).
Estimating the Informal Cross-Border Trade in Central Africa.
Nairobi: African Economic Research Consortium.
59
Ibid.
60
Ibid.
61
Ibid.
62
African Development Bank. (2015)
Agricultural Value Chain Development Program- Appraisal Report
. Tunis: ADB.