Cameroon aims for rice self-sufficiencyCEFR B2
24 Mar 2026
Adapted from Laura, Global Voices • CC BY 3.0
Photo by Ariel Nathan ADA MBITA, Unsplash
Rice is a staple food across Cameroon, which has a population of over 30 million. In 2023 rice consumption averaged 25 kilograms per capita and estimated national demand exceeded 600,000 tons per year. Imports are large: over the first ten months of 2022 Cameroon imported more than 650,000 tons of rice for FCFA 162.5 billion (USD 282 billion), up from 580,000 tons in 2021. Much of the imported grain comes from India and Thailand, and rice now accounts for more than half of foreign grain supplies.
To reduce dependence on imports the government launched a rice self-sufficiency strategy in May 2023, with a budget of FCFA 385 billion (USD 677 million). The policy aims to triple production to 460,000 tons by 2027 and to 750,000 tons by 2030, a level projected to achieve about 97 percent self-sufficiency.
Rice farmers in northwest Cameroon say the policy has changed how they plan crops. Félix Mangwa, Ayong Odette and Tanchia Ngwendoline report that rice is now a top household priority; some incomes have improved slightly and more people have begun to grow rice. Yet farmers face daily constraints: roads become impassable during the March/April to October rainy season, transport is difficult, paddy prices are often too low, and access to certified seeds, tractors and modern inputs is limited. Weak water management and poor storage and processing cause post-harvest losses and low-quality white rice. Without mechanisation much work remains manual.
Some organisations, such as the Upper Nun Valley Development Authority (UNVDA) and the Commodity Value Chain Development Support Project (PADFA II), provide certified seeds, technical support and training. Farmers also use local measures—starting crops early, maintaining water resources and reinforcing field banks with elephant grass—and propose concrete solutions:
- investment in basic infrastructure and new rice fields
- input subsidies, storage depots and rural road tarring
- formal markets, minimum prices and improved processing
- irrigation canals, resistant varieties such as Nerica L56 and more mechanisation
Difficult words
- staple — main food regularly eaten by a population
- self-sufficiency — ability to meet needs without imports
- mechanisation — use of machines instead of manual labour
- post-harvest loss — food lost after harvest before consumptionpost-harvest losses
- subsidy — financial support to reduce costs for farmersinput subsidies
- paddy — unmilled rice as still in the field
- irrigation — supplying water to crops by channels
Tip: hover, focus or tap highlighted words in the article to see quick definitions while you read or listen.
Discussion questions
- Which proposed solution in the article would most help local rice farmers, and why?
- How would better rural roads change rice production and the market in these areas?
- What difficulties might the government face in reaching the 2030 production goal?
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