COMCEC
Reducing Food Waste
In the OIC Member Countries
ANNEX 2: CASE STUDIES: CAMEROON , SAUD I ARAB IA AND TURKEY
1. STATUS AND IMPORTANCE OF AGR ICULTURE IN THE COUNTRY
1.1 C am e ro o n
Agricultural production
Cameroon is a country of 475,650 km characterized by an agro-ecological diversity offering it a
wide range of agricultural, pastoral and halieutic products. The northern region is arid with low
rainfall and cotton as well as rain fed subsistence cereals like millet, sorghum, beans, wheat,
groundnut or corn are grown. This is also the region where nomadic/semi-nomadic pastoralists
raise cattle. The southern region is ideal for the cultivation of tubers. There is an intermediary
zone, between the north and the south, where coffee, bananas, root crops and plantains are
cultivated. The coastal zone is characterized by high rainfalls and fertile soils, as well as many
forests, and is the region where palm oil, rubber and horticultural crops are produced (FAO,
2012 & 2014c; World Bank, 2014).
About 20% (i.e. 7.2 million ha.) of the country consists of agricultural lands and 13% consists of
arable lands whom only 51% are cultivated (i.e. around 1.8 million). 240.000 ha. of lands are
irrigable and only 33.000 ha. are irrigated (i.e. 17% of its potential) (FAO, 2013b; World Bank,
2014). Main agricultural items produced in Cameroon are referenced in the table below:
Table 1: Commodities produced in Cameroon in 2012
Production Production
Commodity
(U$ 1,000) (M Tonnes)
Plantains 712,280 3,450,000
Cassava 394,870 4,287,177
Bananas 394,283 1,400,000
Tomatoes 325,216 880,000
Meat indigenous, cattle 300,221 111,136
Cocoa, beans 265,853 256,000
Taro (cocoyam) 254,504 1,614,103
Groundnuts, with shells 242,354 633,799
Beans, dry 214,698 342,896
Maize 162,716 1,749,976
Meat, game 144,695 66,500
Oil, palm 140,088 230,000
Vegetables, fresh (nes.) 131,909 700,000
Sorghum 131,133 1,102,000
Cotton lint 115,051 80,500
Yams 106,098 537,802
Meat indigenous, chicken 99,996 70,202
Coffee, green 69,833 65,000
Rubber, natural 64,055 56,000
Meat indigenous, pig 62,258 40,500
Source: FAOSTAT(2013)
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