Cameroon already has 10 or so agropoles and two others have been set up for pineapple and potato production, processing and commercialisation in Mbouda (West of the country) and Nlowé (in the Littoral region).
The 2.8 billion CFA franc investment into the agropole in Mbouda will enable potato production to go from the current 14,840 tons to 46,800 tons next year. Part of the production will be processed on site, whilst the rest will be commercialised in the large cities in Cameroon and neighbouring countries.
The 1.9 billion CFA investment into the Nlowé site will allow them to produce and process 30,000 tons of pineapples into fruit juice over the next 3 years.
The Agropole Programme was launched 2 years ago, aiming to reduce production deficits in the agricultural sector and reduce imports of certain food products. The programme also aims to create employment in rural areas and the Minister of Economy intends to set up 15 more agropoles by 2016.