The World Vegetable Centre – AVRDC, an international organisation has experimented variety of vegetable seeds in Bambili, North West Region. The experiment was exposed for analysis to the public Saturday, February 21, 2009 during a Farmer’s Field Day organised at the Technical School of Agriculture, Bambili in partnership with AVRDC. The Director of the Agric Schoo,l Mr. Jonathan Ndi, welcoming the guests, who answered present for the field day, said the experiment was to promote food security and  an attempt to facilitate the alleviation of poverty and hunger amongst farmers. Mr. Ndi  also clarified that the trials on vegetables like okra, cabbage, huckleberry and pepper will enable the international NGO  recommend the species of vegetables that will do well in the different ecological zones of Cameroon. The 12 different varieties of huckleberry experimented were also given palatability test. At the end of the practical eating test, the general impression was that the huckleberry is good. The D.O. for Tubah Sub-Division,  Mr. Etta Mbokaya Ashu, marvelled by the flavour of the vegetable, wished that the experiment be conclusive to enable people enjoy good food.

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CDC GM made a very major announcement to the pressmen during the early morning briefing. “I also wish to let you know that we are going to start a new banana development by CDC in January. This is in response, again, to directives from the state. So we are going to participate in the increase of the Cameroon banana production to move the current national production from its present 250,000 tons to 400,000 tons in the next there to four years. CDC is playing a leading role in the activity. From next month, it is not far away from now; we shall start the work to develop 1750 hectares of bananas in three years; 500 of which we intend to plant in April next year.

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On January 11 and March 26, 2008 the General Manager of the Cameroon Development Corporation, CDC, Mr. Henry Njalla Quan, launched two giant agricultural projects – the Boa Plain Oil Palm and the Matouke Rubber Development Projects respectively. The projects, situated in Bamusso Sub-Division, Ndian Division of the South West Region for Boa and Mbanga Sub-Division, Mungo Division in the Littoral Region entail the expansion of CDC hectarage for both the oil palm and rubber by 6,000 Ha for each crop. If there were any lingering doubts about the effective realisation of these two very ambitious projects, which form part of Mr. Njalla Quan’s strategic plan dubbed “Vision 2007 – 2012”, these should be laid to permanent rest because the projects are well on course.

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Farmers in Munyenge area in Fako Division have vowed to stock their cocoa produce in their houses until when the price of the crop goes up again. This was the resolution taken during a community meeting between the chiefs, councillors and the farmers in Munyenge area on October 27. The farmers, in putting forth their points, recalled that for years, they have suffered exploitation from the Local Buyers Association, LBA, who manipulate them by providing cocoa chemicals at an exorbitant rate and only for them to reduce the price of the produce at the peak of the cocoa season. They mentioned that by doing this they always go home penniless because all what they were supposed to take home would have been slashed from chemical owed. They say they therefore see it as working for the buyers.

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The United Nations food and Agricultural Organisation has called for an urgent review of biofuel policies and subsidies in order to preserve the goal of world food security, protect poor farmers, promote broad-based rural development and ensure environmental sustainability. In its FAO annual flagship publication, The State of Food and Agriculture (SOFA) 2008, published on Tuesday, October 7 the FAO says that “biofuels present both opportunities and risks. The outcome would depend on the specific context of the country and the policies adopted,” said FAO Director-General Jacques Diouf . “Current policies tend to favour producers in some developed countries over producers in most developing countries. The challenge is to reduce or manage the risks while sharing the opportunities more widely.”

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