The Cameroonian government announced the next step in developing a domestic wheat industry. During a consultation workshop held in Yaoundé on June 24, 2026, stakeholders approved a three-year action plan led by the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (Minader). Implementation is expected to begin in 2027, with the program carrying an estimated price tag of CFA30.9 billion.

The plan is designed to move wheat production beyond the pilot stage and establish a more structured value chain. It focuses on three priorities: producing certified seeds, supporting commercial wheat farmers, and developing storage, processing, and marketing infrastructure. The goal is to build an integrated supply chain from seed production to the marketplace in a country that still relies heavily on imported wheat to supply flour mills and manufacturers of bread, pasta, biscuits, and other wheat-based products.

Certified Seeds to Support 180,000 Tons of Wheat

According to projections presented during the workshop, the program will require 4,500 hectares dedicated to producing about 9,000 tons of certified seeds. Those seeds are expected to support commercial production of roughly 180,000 tons of wheat over the three-year period.

The project will focus on the Far North, North, Adamawa, West, and Northwest regions, which have been identified as suitable areas for wheat cultivation. Farmers will receive seeds, crop protection products, and technical support aimed at improving yields while lowering production costs.

The initiative builds on the Wheat Production and Processing Project implemented by the Institute of Agricultural Research for Development (IRAD), which has a budget of about CFA10 billion. In recent years, researchers have tested wheat varieties suited to several of the country’s agroecological zones and resumed foundation seed production, particularly at the Wassandé site in the Adamawa Region.

According to Eddy Ngonkeu Mangaptche, Technical Advisor No. 2 at the Ministry of Scientific Research and Innovation, nearly 600 tons of seeds are currently being harvested. Those volumes could be enough to plant about 6,000 hectares, provided the seed multiplication, distribution, and farmer support systems are fully operational.

Imports Still Dominate the Market

The stakes extend beyond agricultural production. Wheat remains one of Cameroon’s largest food imports, placing pressure on the country’s foreign exchange reserves and trade balance, especially after years of volatility in global grain markets driven by geopolitical tensions and rising logistics costs.

The new program comes as the government’s Integrated Agro-Pastoral and Fisheries Import Substitution Plan (PIISAH), which covered 2024-2026, reaches the end of its initial phase. The initiative sought to reduce dependence on major imported products, including rice, corn, wheat, palm oil, fish, and milk. However, wheat imports remain largely unchanged despite those efforts.

The main challenge now is converting research achievements into consistent commercial production. Cameroon will need to produce enough certified seeds, encourage farmers to grow wheat, secure long-term buyers among flour mills, guarantee attractive prices, and address technical constraints related to yields, irrigation, farm inputs, storage, and grain quality.

The CFA30.9 billion plan represents another effort to advance a long-standing goal: reducing Cameroon’s dependence on imported wheat. Whether it succeeds will depend on its ability to move beyond pilot projects and establish an economically viable industry capable of supplying local processors on a sustained basis.

In the short term, the target of 180,000 tons will still fall short of national demand. Even so, the program could become an important test of the country’s import substitution strategy. If it succeeds in connecting research institutions, farmers, processors, and the market into a functioning value chain, locally grown wheat could begin to play a meaningful role in the national supply. Otherwise, Cameroon will continue to face a structurally high wheat import bill despite repeated government initiatives.

Source: Business in Cameroon