Agricultural Productivity – Gov’t, FAO in Quest of Quality Seedlings

Godlove Bainkong

29 May 2011

The government of Cameroon in partnership with the Food and Agricultural Organisation (FAO) are finalising studies to put in place a viable seed system that can meet the aspirations of public authorities to boost agricultural production and ensure food sufficiency in the country.

This is through a Support Project for Capacity Building on the Control and Certification of Seedlings (TCP/CMR/3203 (D). Members of the project held their final workshop at the Yaounde Djeuga hotel last Friday May 27 to come up with the final roadmap for the project.

In a speech, FAO’s country Resident Representative, Ousmane Guindo, said the project is at the request of government to improve food sufficiency by boosting agricultural production.

He disclosed that during the past two years, FAO supported the government in establishing the system in terms of institutional capacity building. “For example, we procured equipment worth over FCFA 63 million for the national and regional laboratories.

We also built the capacities of technicians nationwide so that Cameroon can have a system that will be credible in terms of quality of seeds of the various crops produced in the country”, he said.

Speaking on behalf of the Vice Prime Minister, Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, the Secretary General of the ministry, Jean-Claude Eko’o Akouafane, described the programme as a stitch in time.

Coming at a time public authorities have negotiated an uncompromising bend to boost agricultural production and desist from incessant importation of food crops, the S.G said, “good quality seedlings constitute viable agricultural input and the programme cannot but be welcomed”.

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