Cover_Rebuilding West Africas Food Potential

516 Rebuilding West Africa’s food potential

Short shelf life puts enormous pressure on product sales. The taste of gari can change and it can go moldy

after a few weeks; fufu can change color and attract weevils; waterfufu can become acidic if exposed to

air and then change color. Those constraints imply that all market actors must specialize in one product,

being gari, fufu, or waterfufu. They have to source products by collecting from smallholders and small

scale processes at periodic markets (in villages), and that they have to go to producers for sourcing.

Traders’ margins are highly dependent on rather prohibitive transport costs amounting to 4,000 CFAF

for each bag carried between production areas and Yaoundé. But those products remain in general

very competitive in spite of high retail prices, thanks to their reputation for good quality among

households and restaurants. 100 Kg packaged waterfufu is in general sourced from the Eastern

region by log trucks for chikwangué and cassava sticks’ processors who are the main clients. The

eastern region is the most competitive production area since sale prices can go down to 8,000 CFAF

per 100 Kg bag.

On average, prices are a slightly lower in Douala, with 5 to 10 percent difference as compared with

Yaoundé. Sale prices of waterfufu sources from the North West are higher than other competing

products.

3.2 Retailers

These are small scale traders who carry out sourcing on a daily basis and on the spot (on the markets)

from wholesalers, and in small amounts (one bag). They are not specialized like wholesalers and they

generally own a set of fresh food crops and products among which are gari, fufu, or waterfufu that they

retail in small amounts (20cl, 1l, 1,25l, 2,5l, 5l, 15l). Their main clients are households and restaurants.

The products they display on the ground or on open shelves are subject to bad weather and ambient

risks (rain, dust, sun, odors, and so on). For their purchases, they are not generally loyal to one particular

wholesaler, and the quality of available products remains the most important determinant.

Table 7. Price structure for wholesale markets in CFAF

By-products Packing(bags) Min purchase

price

Average sale

price

Max sale price

White gari 300Kg 60,000 65,000 90,000

Yellow gari 300Kg 35,000 45,000 65,000

Fufu

50Kg 9,000 10,000 12,000

100 Kg 15,000 17,000 24,000

Waterfufu

50Kg 7,000 8,000 10,000

100Kg 10,000 20,000 25,000