Strawberry Cultivation : Farmers Take Up Challenge

It has been widely believed that strawberry cannot grow in Cameroon. This is the myth that accounts for the scarcity of strawberry farmers in Cameroon. This scarcity has created an economic vacuum where demand has exceeded supply.

Roland Fomundam, CEO of Green- House Ventures, a company specialised in modern agricultural techniques, is however bridging the gap by carrying out mass cultivation of the nutritious fruit. This, in addition to other fruits and vegetables such as beetroots, cucumbers and tomatoes.

For years now, consumers of strawberry in the country have been frustrated by the lack of this exotic fruit in the market. They blame this on the lukewarm nature of local farmers towards the cultivation of the crop. The majority of farmers believe that such crops cannot do well on Cameroonian soil. Market analyses show that 90% of strawberry in the Cameroonian market is imported, and this has made it difficult for locals to relish consuming this product.

Roland Fomundam, a US-trained agricultural engineer, however, believes that Cameroonian soil can grow a wide range of exotic fruits and vegetables. “We have the best terrain and the best climate and we can very much grow almost everything,” he said. He has thus taken the bull by the horn and is doing what many of his colleagues are ...