(Business in Cameroon) – Soproicam, a Cameroonian agribusiness that grows and processes soybeans, is getting back to work in the Adamaoua region after years of delays. On April 16, the company officially received a long-awaited 2,000-hectare land concession in Awa, about 60 km from Ngaoundéré, where it will restart farming on 1,250 hectares.
The land was originally granted by the government in 2013 for maize and soybean cultivation. However, the project faced resistance from local communities and was suspended in 2016 by then Minister of State Property Jacqueline Koung à Bessiké, pending an investigation. With the dispute now settled, the green light allows Soproicam to resume its plans to feed its processing plant in Yato, near Douala, which has a capacity of 100 tons per day.
Back in 2014, the company produced close to 40,000 tons of soybeans annually through a network of 25,000 farmers across Mayo-Tsanaga, Mayo-Rey, Nganha, and Mbé. But over time, the company ran into supply issues as a significant portion of local production was exported to Nigeria.
By 2019, the domestic market could only meet half of Soproicam’s needs. That year, the company processed 35,000 tons of soybeans into 25,000 tons of soybean meal, while national demand stood at 50,000 tons.
Now with the new concession, Soproicam is setting more ambitious goals. It wants to double national soybean production from a projected 50,000 tons in 2025 to 100,000 tons by 2030. To reach that target, it plans to work with 50,000 farmers.
The timing aligns with Cameroon’s efforts to reduce its dependence on imports. The country currently faces an annual soybean shortfall worth nearly CFA14 billion. In 2023 alone, it imported over 75,000 tons of soybean meal and byproducts, costing CFA24.7 billion, according to the National Institute of Statistics. That represents a 20% drop in volume and an 18% drop in value compared to previous years.
