Cover_Rebuilding West Africas Food Potential

520 Rebuilding West Africa’s food potential

Collective places for meal-taking do not show up in the above table, yet they are an interesting and

significant marketing outlet for cassava by-products.

Stakeholders in the marketing channels of gari, fufu, waterfufu mostly operate in an informal fashion

without establishing contracts or any professional convention between the various operators. This

deprives them of any reliable information source about each actor (identification, location, economic

data), and encourages sales proceeding in production areas, home-grown processing and a traditional

approach of marketing relationships (customers have to take care when sourcing by making purchases

in producers’ localities, producers to not take care or develop delivery services).

Starting places in Cameroun for international exports are Yaoundé-Nsimalen and Douala airports, and the Douala

harbor. Most exports are to Europe and USA. Regional trade with CEMAC countries and Nigeria proceeds through

Douala Peschaud and Ekondotiti harbors. The starting points of these trade flows are the border markets in Kye-

Ossi and Abang Minkoo regarding trade between Cameroon, Gabon, and Equatorial Guinea.

4. Constraints and opportunities for the cassava
   value chain in Cameroon

In spite of being a major driver of Cameroon’s food security, the cassava value chain has to cope

with several challenges and constraints in terms of production, processing, and marketing, and with

regard to stakeholders’ organization(s) and financing alike. Those constraints severely impede income

generation and the overall value chain development process. Several opportunities however exist and

several options can be envisaged to overcome those constraints and entail a more intensive and inclusive

development process.

Table 12. Situation of the products under study in the modern retailing channels

Current distribution Reason “feelings” related to

products under study

Gari Fufu Waterfufu

Supermarkets No No No No

proposition

made

for those

products

Ready to supply provided

that quality and safety

requirements are satisfied,

and that there is some

demand from consumers

Groceries No No No No

proposition

made

for those

products

Ready to supply provided

that quality and safety

requirements are satisfied,

and that there is some

demand from consumers

Retailing in

large quantities

No No No Unavailability

of those

products for

this type of

sales

Possible to supply provided

demand is significant

(groceries and boutiques

mainly)