(Business in Cameroon) – The Sanguere-Ndjol seed unit laboratory in Garoua is set for a revamp under a French-funded project aimed at strengthening food security for 31,900 households. On 21 October, the National Coordinator of the Agricultural Value Chain Development Support Project Phase II (PADFA II), Marigoh Bouquet Hélène, launched a national open tender for laboratory equipment.
Funded by the French Development Agency (AFD), part of the project’s budget will cover the purchase of laboratory materials including a laboratory refrigerator, an incubation box, a backpack sprayer, 41 bags of 50 kg urea, 41 buckets of 15 kg quicklime, a hybrid solar and electric mist blower, shelves, 200 jars, and a mini scale, among others. Suppliers have until 24 November 2025 to submit bids, with delivery expected within 45 days of finalising the agreement.
PADFA II’s investment in the laboratory forms part of its broader six-year programme (2020-2026) designed to select, produce, and distribute quality seeds suited to local farmers’ needs, improving crop yields, disease resistance, and climate adaptability. The unit also handles seed conditioning, including cleaning, counting, packaging, and labelling.
The project aims to reduce poverty by increasing agricultural incomes and improving food security for 90,000 producers, including 50% women and 30% youth across 31,900 households, organised into cooperatives.
With a total investment of 33.3 billion FCFA, the project aims to create 111 cooperatives, increase productivity in family farms, and improve storage, processing, and marketing of agricultural produce. It also seeks to strengthen resilience and technical capacity among farmers across four regions: the Far North, North, West, and North-West.
Mercy Fosoh
