Boosting Rice Production: Prioritising Increase Irrigated Land

The Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development Gabriel Mbairobe was in Bamenda on July 2, 2026 where amongst his activities relating to rice production, he chaired the 7th Steering Committee Meeting of the Rice Value Chain Development Project (RVCDP). Upon arrival in Bamenda, on July 1, 2026 the minister visited the construction site of the RVCDP head office. The ultimate target of the meeting was maximizing value for the local rice farmers and consumers across the nation. "You know that rice is an important staple food in our country and the production of rice is a major concern of the Head of State, President Paul Biya," the Minister remarked. He further lamented the challenges plaguing rice production, reason why the government is placing a lot of importance in the sector. The first challenge mentioned was the availability of irrigated land because it is essential in overcoming the production gap in order to meet the needs of the local consumers. With this in mind, the government therefore set up the Rice Value Chain project in order to increase the surface of irrigated land. " We are targeting 17,000 hectares of irrigated land for the production of rice," Mini...