REPUBLIC OF CAMEROON Paix-Travail-Patrie --- SERVICES DU PREMIER MINISTRE --- SECRETARIAT GENERAL
REPUBLIC OF CAMEROON Peace-Work-Fatherland --- PRIME MINISTER'S OFFICE --- SECRETARIAT GENERAL
PRESS RELEASE FOLLOWING CABINET MEETING OF THURSDAY 25 JUNE 2020 ***
Yaounde, 25 June 2020
The Prime Minister, Head of Government, His Excellency Joseph DION NGUTE, today Thursday 25 June 2020 at 10 a.m. in the Auditorium of the Prime Minister’s Office, chaired a Cabinet Meeting attended by Ministers of State, Ministers and Ministers Delegate.
Three items featured on the agenda namely:
- the situation of Cameroon’s foreign trade;
- an assessment of actions to increase local rice and maize production;
- the evolution of the COVID-19 pandemic in Cameroon and the medical follow-up of patients.
Speaking on the first theme, after the introductory remarks of the Head of Government, the Minister of Trade first presented the trade situation in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic, before giving prospects. He indicated that the containment measures taken by States in the context of the fight against COVID-19 have led to a global slowdown in production, processing and trading activities, as well as a contraction in the demand for goods and services. As a result, the overall price index for the main commodities fell by 42% between January and April 2020, particularly for raw materials such as copper, oil, natural gas, cotton and timber. As far as Cameroon is concerned, the overall volume of trade fell by 16% during the first half of 2020. Exports and imports fell by 14% and 16% respectively.
By way of prospects, the Minister of Trade stressed that the coronavirus pandemic offers Cameroon the opportunity to review its trade strategy by developing regional and sub-regional, trade given its potential, while reducing the volume of imports of food and manufactured products in order to reduce its dependence on the outside world. In this respect, he recommended a series of structural measures such as the accelerated implementation of the Industrialization Master Plan in order to increase the level of local processing of raw materials, the revival of the major export sectors as well as the development of fish farming and aquaculture. He also recommended support to Cameroonian companies, by matching their products to export markets, the development of sales points for locally made products abroad, the development of mentoring and networking of national export companies.
Speaking after him, the Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development reviewed measures to increase local production of rice and maize, with a view to significantly reducing imports of these staple foods. He indicated, as regards rice, that the domestic demand is estimated in 2020 at 576,949 tons, for a national average production estimated at 140,710 tons. The actions implemented to increase production volumes in the rice sector include technical and financial support to cooperatives and agro-industries for the production of quality seeds, the extension of modern rice production techniques, as well as the improvement of harvesting and post-harvest techniques through various projects.