Agriculture and Pesticide Registration in Cameroon

1. Overview of Cameroon

នេះ។ Republic of Cameroon is located in Central and West Africa. It borders Nigeria to the northwest, Chad to the northeast, the Central African Republic to the east, Congo (Brazzaville) to the southeast, Gabon and Equatorial Guinea to the south, and the Gulf of Guinea to the southwest. The country has a total area of 475,442 square kilometers, narrowing from south to north in a triangular shape.

Agriculture and animal husbandry are the main pillars of Cameroon’s national economy. The country is a major producer of cash crops such as cotton, coffee, cocoa, rubber, and palm oil, ranking among the leading producers in Sub-Saharan Africa. However, agricultural modernization remains underdeveloped, and productivity is relatively low.

According to the Ministry of Agriculture, Cameroon has 7.2 million hectares of arable land, representing about 15% of its total land area, but only around 1.8 million hectares have been cultivated.

2. Main Crops and Agricultural Land Policy

Cameroon enjoys favorable natural conditions and rich natural resources. Known as the “Granary of Central Africa,” its economy is largely based on agriculture — about 90% of production comes from smallholder farmers, while 10% originates from state-owned or private plantations. Farming systems are generally simple and extensive.

Main food crops include cassava, maize, millet, sorghum, rice, and beans. Major export crops are cocoa, coffee, bananas, rubber, palm oil, timber, pineapples, and cotton. Cameroon is among the world’s top five cocoa-producing countries.

• In the northern regions, sorghum and millet dominate.
• នេះ។ western regions cultivate sugarcane, cassava, maize, and sweet potatoes.
• នេះ។ coastal areas grow cassava, bananas, rubber, cocoa, and coffee.
• អង្ករ is concentrated in the central and northern areas, while maize is cultivated nationwide.

Agriculture provides about 62.9% of total employment, and nearly 90% of rural households are engaged in farming. One-third of these depend on export crops as their main source of income.

Land Policy and Foreign Investment

Cameroon allows foreign investors to obtain leasehold rights for agricultural land, with leases lasting up to 99 years. The first five years constitute a provisional authorization period; if the foreign investor fails to meet contractual obligations during this time, the government may revoke the lease.

Foreign investors engaged in food crop production can use farmland free of charge, while those cultivating cash crops must pay an annual land rental fee. However, Cameroon does not permit foreign ownership or lease of forest land.

3. Pesticide Import and Export in Cameroon

Export

In 2023, Cameroon exported pesticides worth USD 29,700. The main export destinations were:

• Myanmar (USD 11,400)
• Central African Republic (USD 7,760)
• Ghana (USD 4,730)
• Togo (USD 3,860)
• Gabon (USD 1,760) [Source: OEC]

Import

In the same year, Cameroon imported USD 161 million worth of pesticides. The leading suppliers were:

• ចិន (USD 128 million)
• ប្រទេសឥណ្ឌា (USD 8.15 million)
• អាល្លឺម៉ង់ (USD 7.13 million)
• ប្រទេសបារាំង (USD 6.76 million)
• អេស្ប៉ាញ (USD 2.93 million)

Between 2022 and 2023, Cameroon’s pesticide imports grew fastest from China (+USD 8.71 million), Germany (+USD 6.02 million), និង Spain (+USD 1.76 million).
(Source: OEC – Cameroon Pesticides Trade Profile)

4. Pesticide Registration in Cameroon

Cameroon registered its first pesticide នៅក្នុង 1996. However, by 2004, less than 5% of farmers used registered products. Through continuous government efforts, this figure rose to 80% by 2014.

According to the Ministry of Agriculture និង CPAC-CEMAC, as of December 2022, a total of 707 pesticide products were registered in Cameroon — all chemical pesticides.

• Herbicides: 248 products
• Insecticides: 327 products
• Fungicides: 205 products

Among insecticides, the most frequently registered active ingredient is Lambda-cyhalothrin (47 registrations), followed by Cypermethrin, ថ្នាំ Imidacloprid, អាសេតាមីព្រីន, និង Emamectin benzoate.
សម្រាប់ ថ្នាំសំលាប់ស្មៅ, Glyphosate ranks first (40 registrations), followed by Nicosulfuron, អាតរ៉ាហ្សីន, ឌីយូរ៉ុន, និង Simazine.
Among fungicides, ម៉ាន់កូសេប leads (32 registrations), followed by Copper oxide, ថ្នាំ Propiconazole, មេតាឡាស៊ីល។, និង ធីរ៉ាម.
(Source: AgroPages – African Market Focus: Opportunities in Cameroon and South Africa)

5. Regulatory Authorities

At the national level, pesticide registration is overseen by the National Committee for the Registration of Plant Protection Products (CNHPCAT), established in 1996.

Since 2005, pesticide management has been under the responsibility of the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (MINADER), specifically through the Department for the Regulation of Pesticides, Fertilizers, and Application Equipment (SDRP) and the National Laboratory for the Analysis of Agricultural Products and Inputs.

6. Dossier Requirements for Pesticide Registration

According to the Prime Minister’s Decree No. 2005/0772/PM, issued on April 6, 2005, the required documents for pesticide registration in Cameroon include:

1. Application form
2. Product summary
3. Technical data sheet
4. Analytical specifications
5. Toxicological dossier
6. Ecotoxicological dossier
7. Environmental dossier
8. Label samples
9. គំរូផលិតផល
10. Certificates or approvals from other countries
11. Biological efficacy and pre-marketing trial reports
12. Analytical report (from a ministry-approved laboratory)
13. Certificate of origin issued by the chamber of commerce or a competent authority in the country of origin
14. Residue analysis report
15. Applicant’s company information

Full legal reference: FAOLEX – Cameroon Pesticide Registration Decree (PDF)

7. Renewal of Registration

1. Only the company holding the trademark or registration certificate of the active ingredient may apply for renewal.
2. Applications must be submitted at least six months before the registration expires, and must include:
   • Updated human toxicity data
   • Current environmental data
   • Maximum residue limit (MRL) data
   • Reports on adverse effects of the product on crops
   • Monitoring reports after eight years of field use

8. Transfer of Registration

1. A registration certificate may be transferred to another company at the request of the certificate owner.
2. The dossier must include:
   • Application form
   • Official authorization
   • Transfer agreement signed by both the current holder and the recipient company
3. នេះ។ Plant Protection Authority issues an approval certificate for the transfer, which takes effect immediately after authorization.

References:

1. OEC World – Cameroon Pesticide Trade Data
2. AgroPages – African Market Focus: Cameroon and South Africa
3. Prime Minister’s Decree No. 2005/0772/PM (April 6, 2005) – FAOLEX