The crisis in anglophone Cameroon is damaging the Southwest Region's economy, with palm oil plantations closing and the cocoa trade tumbling, an NGO report said Wednesday.

The Southwest Region faces almost daily clashes between the army and separatists in a conflict that originated mainly in Cameroon's second anglophone area, the Northwest Region.

The state-run palm oil company Pamol has deserted some of its plantations, and cocoa and coffee production has stopped because villages have abandoned their crops, according to the Cameroon NGO Human Is Right.

Sources at the private firm Telcar Cocoa, a market leader, told the NGO that insecurity in the region had caused an 80 percent fall in cocoa trade.

Company officials should negotiate with fighters to secure their facilities in remote villages, the sources said.

Meanwhile rubber and oil plantations have been abandoned in two of Southwest Region's six districts, Ndian and Meme.

The crisis has led to a 70 percent increase in unemployment in the agricultural sector, the report found.

Both the Southwest Region and the Northwest Region were once under British rule before joining francophone Cameroon in 1961 after independence.

For years, resentment built among anglophones, fostered by perceived marginalisation in education, the judiciary and the economy at the hands of the French-speaking majority.

Demands for greater autonomy were rejected by 85-year-old President Paul Biya, in power for more than 35 years, leading to an escalation that saw the declaration of the self-described "Republic of Ambazonia" in October last year.

Related Links
Farming Today - Suppliers and Technology

Tweet

Thanks for being here; We need your help. The Space Media Network continues to grow but revenues have never been harder to maintain. With the rise of Ad Blockers, and Facebook - our traditional revenue sources via quality network advertising continues to decline. And unlike so many other news sites, we don't have a paywall - with those annoying usernames and passwords. Our news coverage takes time and effort to publish 365 days a year. If you find our news sites informative and useful then please consider becoming a regular supporter or for now make a one off contribution.
SpaceMediaNetwork Contributor $5 Billed Once credit card or paypal		SpaceMediaNetwork Monthly Supporter $5 Billed Monthly paypal only

In India, swapping crops could save water and improve nutrition
New York NY (SPX) Jul 18, 2018
India will need to feed approximately 394 million more people by 2050, and that's going to be a significant challenge. Nutrient deficiencies are already widespread in India today - 30 percent or more are anemic - and many regions are chronically water-stressed. Making matters worse, evidence suggests that monsoons are delivering less rainfall than they used to. But a study published in Science Advances shares a brighter outlook: replacing some rice with less thirsty crops could dramatically reduce ... read more