Cameroon: Palm Oil importation dropped by 10% in 2023

By Eratus Ndueh

Cameroon imported an average of 180,000 tonnes of crude palm oil out of the 200,000 tonnes which was announced by the government in 2023.

According to the Secretary General of the Cameroon Oilseed Refiners Association, ASROC, this 10% reduction in imports is due the establishment of the inter-professional council of palm oil producers better known in its french acronym INTERPALM-CAM on December 5, last year, which aims at propelling the country’s palm oil production and quality.

While trade in palm oil can spur economic development especially where governance is strong, there are concerns about the local impacts of palm oil production and distribution on the environment and on people.

The need for sustainable production of such an economically important commodity cannot be overstated especially in sub-Saharan Africa, where about 5% of global palm oil is produced.

Reason why stakeholders in Cameroon have called for an improvement in the quality and quantity of the product, which will not only satisfy local demands of households and industries, but will reduce the high imports of palm oil and consequently contribute to Cameroon’s development.

On the other hand, the negative impacts associated with palm oil production are many and are both environmental and social such as deforestation, water pollution, soil erosion, and violations of workers’ rights, including health effects and land use issues such as habitat destruction and fragmentation that need to be addressed, to hope for a better quality and quantity production of palm oil in the country.