The Research On The Development Of Cassava Sector In Cameroon And Its Implications On Economic Growth

Many countries have achieved and sustained their industrial development byequipping their agricultural sector, bearing in mind that the raw materials needed tobe processed by the industries and sold as finished products will more often than notcome from the agricultural sector. In Cameroon, agricultural activities havepersistently focused on cash and exports crops (cocoa, coffee, banana, Rubber tree,cotton, etc.), while food crops remained neglected. However, on occasions whenpolicies seemed to favor food crops, highest emphasis went to grains (wheat, maizeand rice) thereby sidelining root and tuber sectors.Cassava falls under the roots and tubers category. It is surprising that in spite ofthe observed socio-economic importance of this crop, the sector remains neglectedcompared to other crops sectors. The cassava sector presents numerous economicopportunities, and many countries that have mainstreamed it, have registeredconsiderable positive outcomes arising from export revenue and industrialmanufacture of related derivatives. This has been done partly through boosting theircassava sector’s extension and support services.This work considered the cassava sector as a whole, with the objective ofpresenting its contribution towards the Cameroonian economic indicators. Theposition of cassava is studied specifically with respect to an analysis of the differentpolicies that have influenced the sector starting from1961up to date. The economicand social evaluation of the sector has also enabled to capture the internal andexternal advantages and constraints that have impeded the growth of the sector, andcontinue to influence it. With the use of gap analysis, setting the future conditionsthat have to be fulfilled to make it a high-income provider, conditions are presentedto fill the numerous gaps hampering the sector. A comparative analysis withcountries that have performed well in their cassava sector deepened analyses. Henceforth, using time series on multivariate and multistage analyses fromaggregated data and field-surveyed data, this study analyzes the impact of production,technology, marketing and international market factors on the cassava market valueas well as their effects on the cassava market price. Next, it evaluates the impact ofcassava value on the Agricultural Gross Domestic Product (GDP). Finally, itstimulates the production, exports, imports and gross demand of cassava roots forthis entire decade.The results show that the great contributor of cassava value is the quantities ofroots produced. The improved planting materials (YHV) and the Farmers’ FieldSchools (FFSs) upgrade the farming techniques but ultimately do not have a directeffect on the cassava market value. The transportation, telephone and access to tiledroads are some factors that reduced the time taken for cassava to leave farm gate andreach the end users increasing the cassava market price since cassava is a veryperishable good. Producer price index is a good indicator of the price received byfarmers but it negatively influences the competitiveness of cassava on internationalmarkets. The simulation part evidently reveals that while exports, production, wouldincrease, the imports will decrease and the gross demand would rise.The research then conclude that for the cassava sector in Cameroon to beupgraded and competitive, more research, education, technology and innovationshould be fostered in the sector. The administration should improve all types ofinfrastructures and policies should avoid taxing the agriculture instead, measures forthe establishment of an agricultural bank, an agricultural broadcasting network aswell as agricultural accounting and legal system should be implemented. Moreover,investment in the agricultural sector should be encouraged.