Cameroon Targets More Local Rice as RVCDP Meets in Bamenda

By Wirngo Peter Tardzenyuy

www.eagleeyeafrica.blogspot.com +237670040473

BAMENDA, 2 July 2026

 Cameroon is pushing to grow more rice locally and cut imports, Agriculture and Rural Development Minister Gabriel Mbairobe said Thursday during the 7th Steering Committee meeting of the Rice Value Chain Development Project (RVCDP) at Ayaba Hotel in Bamenda.

Mbairobe said the main challenge facing the rice subsector is the limited availability of irrigated land. Cameroon currently has about 4,500 hectares under irrigation, while RVCDP is expected to develop an additional 3,000 hectares. The government's long-term target is to expand irrigated rice production to 70,000 hectares with support from development partners.

"Rain-fed rice is also getting support through improved seeds, fertilizer and land preparation," he said. He added that a rice processing plant with an annual capacity of about 100,000 tonnes has already been established to boost local processing.

The Minister recalled that government relaunched efforts to boost rice production in 2017. He noted that irrigated rice fields can produce between 10 and 12 tonnes per hectare with two harvests each year. Projects are currently underway in the North West, West and Far North regions, including Viva Benue. The first irrigated schemes are expected to be delivered from late 2026 into the first quarter of 2027.

Since the last Steering Committee meeting in December 2025, RVCDP has secured improved rice seeds from Iran and Belgium, trained 121 seed multipliers, begun implementation of contracts for the development of 2,000 hectares of irrigated land, and continued work on market infrastructure, warehouses and access roads. A farmer training programme was also recently held at the Maga production site.

The committee reviewed the implementation of recommendations from its previous session, adopted the project's progress report as of 24 June 2026, examined the audit reports for the 2024 and 2025 financial years, and agreed to speed up land development, mechanization and processing.