The Cameroonian government has ordered an immediate suspension of maize imports after meeting with industry stakeholders on May 13 at the Ministry of Commerce. The decision aims to protect local producers who are struggling to sell large volumes of unsold harvests.
The meeting, chaired by Minister of Commerce Luc Magloire Mbarga Atangana, brought together officials from the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, the General Directorate of Customs, import companies, and key players in the maize value chain. All parties agreed that urgent action was needed to stabilize the market.
Authorities say the current excess stems largely from import permits being issued without accurate data on domestic production and existing farmer stocks. While Cameroon has been pushing import-substitution under the National Development Strategy 2030, the sudden influx of foreign maize has undercut local sales and left farmers with warehouses full of grain they can’t move.
The government also plans to involve the Cereals Office and private operators like the Compagnie Fermière Camerounaise to purchase and store local harvests. In parallel, stricter controls will be applied to import authorizations for day-old chicks, hatching eggs, and breeding stock sectors that consume large amounts of maize so that existing stocks are used first.
Minister Luc Magloire Mbarga Atangana stressed that emergency measures alone won’t be enough. He called for the creation of a formal maize inter-professional body to improve information flow between producers, importers, and distributors and to prevent future market imbalances.
