Discover the Cameroon Rice Sector: A $300M annual market to explore
Rice is amongst the most demanded staple food in Cameroon. Despite having an enormous natural capacity to grow rice domestically the countries fast growing population continues to depend heavily on imported rice. Cameroon imports over 500.000 tons of rice annually since 2013 with import values exceeding 200 billion francs since 2018.
Thinking of investing in Cameroon? The Rice Sector ideal.
Cameroon has specifically, favorable natural conditions that are yet to be tapped; indeed, rice can be grown in practically all natural regions of Cameroon. Moreover, local populations in the Far North, Northwest and West have a long tradition of rice growing. The relatively cheap labour available in the country could make the rice produced in Cameroon competitive on the world market.
National production is estimated at 200,000 tons of paddy grown on 44,000 hectare each year far from meeting the needs of domestic demand. Most of this production comes from irrigated schemes in the Northwest and Far North which are well away from the centers of consumption in the south of the country (Yaoundé and Douala).
Proximity to Nigeria!!!
Due to the proximity of these regions to Nigeria and Chad, most produce is sold to Nigeria, leaving the Urban markets across the rest of the country dependent on imports.
Opportunity for growth in the Rice Sector
Cultivation methods across the country remains largely traditional (reason for low output per hectare despite availability of cheap labour. Investing in mechanized rice cultivation in Cameroon is a venture with 100% market guarantee.
The government of Cameroon through the Ministry of Agriculture has made available several publication guides on rice cultivation for potential investors as the country seeks to close the gap on rice import dependency.
Research on rice is done by the Institute for Agricultural Research and Development (IRAD) supervised by the Ministry of Science, Research and Innovation. IRAD collaborated with international partners to develop improved rice varieties and innovative growing techniques to increase rice productivity in the sub-region.
Download our guide for Rainfed Rice Cultivation here
