To tackle food insecurity: Emergency Project to Combat Food Crisis adopts 38BFCFA as 2024 budget.

Chaired by the Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, Gabriel Mbairobe, the meeting was attended by members of the steering committee. 
It was revealed that the sum of 38 billion FCFA approved by the committee to spur actions on the field, aims at supporting families affected by food crisis and empowering farmers in some five Regions of the country. 
According to PULCCA Coordinator, Dr Ndzomo Abanda Gilbert, the project, which is jointly funded by the World Bank and the Cameroon government, targets the North West, South West, East, Adamawa and Far North Regions, with the World Food Programme, WFP, as implementing partner. 

“We have budgeted 38 billion FCFA for the implementation of activities in 2024,” Dr Ndzomo said. 
The Coordinator explained that the budget will enable them capitalise on the achievements of 2023, which were marked by the signing of several contracts with some partners of the project.
“What we did in 2023 is that, we signed eight contracts; six of which are with the World Food Programme for the transfer of finances to support families in food crisis,” the Project Coordinator said. 
“Another contract is for the nutrition of children in school and for nutrition of nursing mothers. The contracts have been signed and the funds transferred,” Dr Ndzomo added. 
He then stressed that: “For 2024, we want to boost our activities on the field, notably with effective transfer of the funds to the targeted family, nutrition of children in schools, support to farmers in terms of farm tools, equipment, and construction of warehouses. It is all these that will sustain food security which PULCCA stands for”. 
The joint initiative, worth a global sum of about 59 billion FCFA (100 million US dollar) will end in 2025.

Minister appraises session
Meanwhile, the Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, Gabriel Mbairobe, said the January 4, 2024, session was an important meeting for the project as fresh orientations and new impetus have been injected into the project, which he described as “dear” to the President of the Republic. 
“It was a crucial steering committee meeting, because the project now has only two years to achieve its objective, which is to give humanitarian assistance to persons facing food crisis,” the Minister averred. 
Mbairobe also noted that the PULCCA project aims not only to give humanitarian assistance to persons in food crisis situation through the WFP, but also to strengthen the capacities of small scale farmers to enable them improve on their production and productivity. 
He said this can be done by receiving some improved seedlings, equipment and capacity building on good practices in agriculture.  
He continued that, “we urge all the members of the steering committee to work hard so that the resolution can help in the execution of the programme on the field so that by the end of 2025, we should have achieved our objectives”.

The PULCCA project, the member of government also said, will contribute to the realisation of the Presidential Plan for Reconstruction in the crisis-hit Regions, with the rehabilitation of some schools, health centres and construction of warehouses in view within the project. 
“I have reminded them that President Biya has said that as long as there is a single Cameroonian without what to eat, we would not have achieved our mission,” the minister assured.