Potato Farming In NW : Production On Upward Curve Again

After a drop in production from 2018 to 2021 due to the breakdown in the security situation in the Region, potato production is once more on the rise in the North West. As of 2022, production stood at about 71,600 tons, cultivated on a total surface area of about 7,950 hectares of land. It is estimated that 15 per cent of this production is exported to neighbouring countries like Nigeria, Central African Republic, Gabon and Equatorial Guinea. 
This increase in production has also been spurred by an increase in consumption as fried potato chips with eggs is a delicacy in most homes and fast-food junks in cities like Bamenda, Buea, Douala, Yaounde and other major cities in the country. Hitherto cultivated at subsistence scale among other crops like maize or beans, there are specialized potato farms created with the ambition not only to supply the local market but also the international market. 
Over the years, there has been the introduction of new high yields seeds and farming techniques by a multiplicity of actors who assist government in promoting the cultivation of potatoes the North West, namely, GIZ-PROCISA, PADRT, PAPMAV-QPRFPT and IRAD. The production cycle has also been shortened and now ranges from 85 to 120 days depending on the variety.  These projects have not only contributed in introducing new seeds and farming techniques but also built warehouses for farmers to assemble their produce and package them in bags for sale in the market. They have equally introduced new irrigation techniques as well as provided machinery like hand-tractors. MINADER also used to support the farmers with fertilizers and pesticides but that help has decreased over the years according to the testimony of the farmers.
Production is done at three levels, small-scale, medium-size and large-scale. Small-scale pr...