Life line for Cameroon’s Agriculture
The country’s first ever fertilizer factory will not only provide new jobs, but have far- reaching economic ramifications.
When the Head of State announced during his October 04 visit to Maroua, the imminent creation of a fertilizer plant in Cameroon, many Cameroonians did not imagine how soon the project could be. The signing of the Memorandum of Understanding yesterday between the National Hydrocarbons Corporation (SNH) and the German company, Ferrostaal AG, is a clear indication that the project is fast taking its roots.
The envisaged plant for which Ferrostaal and the SNH will carry out feasibility studies in nine months, targets an annual production of about 600,000 metric tonnes of ammonia and 700,000 metric tonnes of Urea; intended for domestic and export markets. This was disclosed by Kaspar Evertz the Executive Vice President of Ferrostaal and Adolphe Moudiki, the Executive General Manager of NHC in a joined press statement issued at the signing ceremony. The studies will help the two partners evaluate the cost and the market potential as well as identify the site of the project, the statement said.
In line with the programme announced by the Head of State, the fertilizer project is expected to scale down the importation of chemical fertilizer in the country, boost employment and increase agricultural production and productivity. According to the Jean-Jacques Koum, Director of Gas at SNH, the new plant could likely bring in an additional investment of almost FCFA 500 billion, 3,000 employment opportunities in the construction phase and 900 jobs during exploitation.
If statistics from the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development were something to go by, then the 1.3 million metric tonnes of fertilizer likely to be produced will seriously boost supply in Cameroon and the CEMAC sub region. Cameroon’s annual average imports of chemical fertilizer stands at 129,000 metric tonnes short of demand estimated at over 450,000 metric tonnes. In 2010, Cameroon imported 148,735 metric tonnes of chemical fertilizer, up from 124,193 tonnes the previous year, according to the report from the survey on fertilizer use in Cameroon conducted by the Fertilizer Sub-Sector Reform Programme. An increase in fertilizer supply will certainly enhance the activities of agro-industries which today constitute the major consumers of the product.
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