Forest Products, Livelihoods and Conservation

Louis Defo 313

Potential of rattan in the area of development

We have on several occasions underscored the socio-economic importance of

the rattan industry at the levels of employment, income, meeting the needs

of stakeholders and culture. Its positive impact in the area of development is

irrefutable. The lucrative exploitation of rattan contributes to the alleviation

of underemployment and unemployment, enables some rural and urban

dwellers to have an income or to increase their financial viability (US$288.5

per year per harvester-seller, US$376.7 annually per craftsman in the rural

area and US$969.7 per year per PU proprietor in the city), to meet their needs

and those of their family (purchase of medicines, kerosene, drinks, soap,

clothes, roofing sheets for their houses and payment of the dowry and school

fees). The money derived from rattan contributes to the development of other

lucrative activities (purchase of pesticides for cocoa plantations and market

gardening, payment for agricultural clearing). Furthermore, rattan processing

puts at the disposal of some persons goods corresponding to their standard of

living and to their cultural aspirations.

These indices and many others show that rattan has real potential in the

area of development in the region. This potential is until now underexploited

for the reasons we mentioned earlier. Well defined promotion actions, finely

targeted and executed, could enable this NTFP to appreciably increase its

contribution to the socio-economic development at the level of harvesters,

conveyors, masters-craftsmen, workers, retailers and users of rattan articles.

An increased development of rattan within the framework of a sustainable

exploitation strategy would be beneficial foremost to harvesters and craftsmen,

but equally to the state, which could receive royalties, taxes and earnings.

CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATIONS

Conclusion

Rattan exploitation in the Yaoundé region is not adequately developed

compared to the sectors of this same NTFP in some South-east Asian regions.

This average performance is witnessed at several levels. Rattan exploitation

is based exclusively on natural stands, its circuit is short, its main stakeholders

are not truly organised, the institutional, regulatory and legal framework that

governs it is quite restrictive, its factors of production are mediocre, its outlets

remain narrow and outside intervention is greatly limited.

It is however undeniable that this activity plays a non-negligible economic,

social and cultural role. This role could be more efficient if a battery of

constraints did not limit its scope. It is the same situation as prevails in the

other rattan exploitation basins of southern Cameroon. If this NTFP should

play a more significant role in the fight against poverty at the level of the less

privileged social categories such as harvesters and craftsmen, then the

bottlenecks would have to be removed.

Recent evolutions in the rattan industry in Cameroon indeed give room for

certain optimism for the future of this activity. Currently, however, the forces

of these dynamics are insufficient to give rattan the full measure of its

potentials in the area of development and conservation in south Cameroon.

17Rattan.P65 313 22/12/2004, 11:05