Gov’t hails strides of rice value chain dev’t project, eyes extension.

The Secretary General of the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, Prof Bambot Grace Annih, made the declarations on Wednesday, December 10.

She was speaking during the second steering committee meeting of PRODERIP-RCV. The Resident Representative of the Japan International Cooperation Agency, JICA, in Cameroon, Kageyama Tadashi, attended the event. 

There was also a PRODERIP-RCV mid-term evaluation mission from Tokyo, Japan, and members of the project’s coordination unit led by its national coordinator, Bertin Reginald-Nkpwang.

Prof Bambot who chaired deliberations on behalf of MINADER boss, Gabriel Mbairobe, hailed progress made in previous phases of the project.

She said the gains add to the benefits of technical cooperation Cameroon has with the Japan International Cooperation Agency, JICA.

Prof Bambot said the State is pleased with the results that have been registered since the first phase of the project flagged off in 2011. 

The official said the project has placed Cameroon on the right path of food self-sufficiency with capacity to conquer markets in the Central African and West African sub regions.

She recalled “inspiring results” in terms of rice seed production and distribution, capacity-building for stakeholders in various fields in the sector, the purification of varieties, quality control and support for the marketing of finished products. 

Results are visible 

Prof Bambot said the biggest proof of the project’s success is the presence in some twenty supermarkets in Yaounde, Douala and Bafoussam in the Centre, Littoral and West Regions, respectively, of high-quality rice from rice producers supervised by the project.

“This shows that the project is on the right track, specifically with respect to the recommendation of the National Rice Development Strategy, which aims at covering our rice production deficit and promoting the consumption of products 'Made in Cameroon',” Prof Bambot noted.

She also expressed “profound gratitude” to JICA for its contributions.

Talks to secure phase four

Prof Bambot disclosed that the government is in talks with JICA to extend the ongoing third phase of the project which ends in 2027.

She said such a move will enable Cameroon to properly benefit from the large consignment of technical equipment consisting notably of processing lines, tractors and lorries which JICA is expected to donate to in the nearest future.

“The provision of this important equipment requires its optimal use. In this regard, the project team is already working to secure a fourth phase,” she opined.

One the need for such extension, she noted, “would enable us not only to refine our mastery of the equipment acquired, but also, and above all, to transfer the marketing model for high-quality rice obtained from Upper Noun Valley Development Authority, UNVDA and distributed to private companies such as cooperatives, whose activities have only just been launched in the Noun Division of the West Region”.

The gathering came after a mid-term review meeting between Minister Mbairobe and the Principal Adviser at JICA, Hiroshi Hiraoka.

Evaluation, 2026 plans

During Wednesday’s meeting, stakeholders evaluated the ground covered and adjustments in line with recommendations made during an October 2024 evaluation meeting on the third phase of the project on course.

They equally established the committee’s plan of action for the year 2026 including those relating to the production of seeds. 

The work plan also includes the dissemination of new techniques for irrigated and rainfed rice production and marketing support in the project’s five regions of intervention viz; the Centre, North West, West, East and South regions. 

Clear view of decisive project

JICA Cameroon boss, Kageyama Tadashi, said the review gave actors a clear overview of what has so far proven to be a decisive project for Cameroon’s rice value chain sector.

Having been working with MINADER, Tadashi said it was imperative to see what has been done to “…in order to clarify our common understanding and further improve the results of this project”.

Broad-based evaluation mission 

Wednesday’s event marked one of the final phases of what had been a month-long mission in Cameroon by JICA under the leadership of Principal Adviser, Hiroshi Hiraoka.

The JICA team has been in Cameroon since November 13, officials said. It was disclosed that the them has since then visited project sites and held consultation talks with stakeholders at the national and local levels.

About PRODERIP-RCV project

PRODERIP-RCV was launched to boost the rice value chain in Cameroon. The scheme entered its third phase in 2023 outlining seed purification and the distribution of certified varieties as two of the principal targets in the phase.

PRODERIP-RCV, officials said, is expected to cover the challenges faced in the value chain in Cameroon where consumption stands between 800,000 to 900,000 tonnes of rice annually while production fluctuates between 140,000 to 150,000 tonnes annually.

Last year, Minister Mbairobe had said after chairing the first committee meeting of phase three of the project that government is hoping to use the project to attain its target of producing 750,000 tonnes of rice by the year 2030.

This article was first published in The Guardian Post Edition No:3653 of Friday December 12, 2025