Cameroon is a major consumer of milk. According to data from the National Planning and Sustainable Development Plan (Snaddt), each Cameroonian consumed on average 18.5 liters of milk in 2020. By 2035, annual consumption per capita should be established at 26 liters, according to data appearing in the same document. Likewise, national consumption, which peaked at 492,000 tonnes in 2020, is also expected to grow to 963,000 tonnes in 2035. However, national production, which has certainly experienced an increasing trend over the last decade, going from less 100,000 tonnes at the start of the 2010s to 313,688 tonnes in 2020, still fails to satisfy national demand, according to the conclusions of the annual production note of Livestock, fishing and the animal industry, published by the Ministry of Livestock, Fisheries and Animal Industry (Minepia). To fill the gap between production and demand (120,000 tonnes per year), Cameroon is obliged to resort to imports which cost at least 20 billion FCFA each year.
This situation is not about to change. At least if we stick to the conclusions contained in the Integrated Agropastoral and Fisheries Import-Substitution Plan for the period 2024-2026 (Piisah). According to the data contained in this report, Cameroon will have to import, at least until 2030, 239,000 tonnes of milk each year to make up for its production deficit. If at the same time, the country agrees to increase its annual production by 10%, it could achieve self-sufficiency in this commodity by 2035, indicates Piisah. However, meeting the milk needs of Cameroonians through its own production alone requires significant investments. Or approximately 13.7 billion FCFA for the intensification of fodder production, training and capacity building for the control of collection processes, conservation, transport and processing of milk, opening up of production basins , the acquisition of conservation and storage infrastructure and the acquisition (of the cold chain, stables, etc.), the structuring of the sector as an independent inter-profession. The Piisah also recommends the importation of genetically improved breeds of cows.
