Economy

Gov´t to cut rice imports by upgrading Ndop rice, says NIS.

Rebranded Ndop rice

The National Institute of Statistics, NIS, has disclosed that government will reduce dependence on imported rice and boost its import substitution policy by investing in the development of Ndop plain and upgrading the rice produced there, (Ndop rice).
According to the NIS, rice is Cameroon’s most imported cereal, with purchases valued at 268.7 billion FCFA, or 5.1% of total cereals imports, despite declining 15.6% from 2024.

The statistics institute revealed that on the whole, the government spent up to 466.9 billion FCFA to import cereals in 2025. This represented a decline of 14.1% compared to imports for 2024. Making cereals to account for 8.9 percent of the country´s total imports bill.

Government is investing more to increase the processing capacity of the Upper Noun Valley Development Authority, UNVDA, with hope to expand domestic rice production, cut imports on a gradual basis, and create more value within local farming communities.

The initiative, officials say, fits into Cameroon's import substitution strategy, which aims to increase local productivity, and competitiveness of domestic agriculture.

Government has invested more than 4 billion FCFA to modernise production and processing facilities at the Upper Noun Valley Development Authority.

Farmers have welcomed the arrival of the new facilities, saying they should shorten processing times, improve access to milling services, and increase the value of their harvests.

However, producer prices, access to fertilizer and improved seeds, farm machinery, better roads, and UNVDA's ability to purchase paddy on time will remain critical to the project's success.

Security also remains a concern. UNVDA operates in Cameroon's North West Region, which has been affected by the Anglophone crisis since 2017.

Although the Ndop plains retain strong agricultural potential, insecurity continues to affect access to farms, the movement of farmers and inputs, and the transport of rice to markets.

Ultimately, however, the success of the investment will depend less on political support than on whether it can secure the entire production chain.

The 4 billion FCFA investment marks an important step in modernizing UNVDA and strengthening Cameroon's ambition to expand domestic rice production.

But increasing annual output from 21,000 tons to 100,000 tons as the government hopes, will require much more than new machinery.

It will depend on whether higher processing capacity is matched by sustained gains in agricultural production and a more competitive local rice industry.

This article was first published in The Guardian Post Edition No:3841 of Wednesday July 08, 2026