Analysis of Agri-Food Trade Structures
To Promote Agri-Food Trade Networks
In the Islamic Countries
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Cameroon, this inability to reap the benefits of cross-border trade with Nigeria is compounded
by the fact that the Northern region has the highest rates of poverty in the country.
In terms of Non-African OIC trade, Malaysia was the top destination for Cameroon's cocoa in
2016 and had occupied that position for the previous decade. Cocoa trade flows between the
two countries have persisted despite price fluctuations and the challenges faced by Cameroon's
cocoa exports to the EU because of more restrictive phytosanitary standards that went into
effect in 2013.
Trade with the OIC is part of a broader trade development strategy which is centred around the
country’s main medium-term development objective consisting of Cameroon achieving
Emerging Market Status by 2035. This roadmap recognises Cameroon's need to increase
agricultural productivity through sustainable intensification and improvements in
infrastructure. Cameroon has recognised the impact of these challenges and the limits of its
previous agri-food strategies especially concerning agricultural innovation. Aside from basic
industrial exploitations, agriculture in Cameroon is essentially traditional and relies upon
traditional tools. Attempts at improvement are noted in value chains for cocoa, cork/wood and
cotton.
From consultations with authorities and taking into account the analysis of issues informed by
trade data analysis the following collaboration areas and action points emerged:
● Joint program with OIC members in Central and West Africa in fostering the
implementing of trade reforms particularly through institutional and human capacity
building actions to consolidate various bilateral trade accords between member
countries and support structural transformation for sustainable development.
● Joint Central andWest African OIC-members actions in identifying and dismantling Non-
Tariff related restrictions affecting sustainable agri-food in three areas: facilitating
cross-border trade and support for industrialisation.
● Actions towards dismantling non-tariff barriers, reducing transactions cost and capacity
building in implementing pro-poor trade reforms.
● Cross-border trade facilitation among Lake Chad Basin OIC members could be one
possible framework for promoting trade networks.
● Trade policy restrictions, inefficient border crossing regimes, lack of transparency, lack
of predictability when crossing and cumbersome documentation process are key factors
that drive informal trade, which is an important factor in Cameroon’s agricultural trade,
notwithstanding obvious difficulties in quantifying it accurately.