(Ecofin Agency) - The Cameroonian government has just launched an invitation for tenders to recruit a manager for the avocado oil extraction plant project in the town of Mbouda, in the Western region of the country. This agro-industrial project is implemented as part of the “basic poverty reduction sub-program”, established by the ministry of Economy with the support of the PNUD.

The agro-industrial unit in development, according to the ministry of Economy, will enable “the development of the local economy and to help the populations of the town of Mbouda to make the most of the potential of their town”. Indeed, Mbouda is the capital of the Bamboutos department, the principal avocado production basin in Cameroon, with about 120,000 metric tons every year, according to the statistics of the ministry of agriculture.

This production, which should considerably increase in the years to come, with the ongoing introduction to the orchard of grafted seedlings with higher yields, is usually sold in the big cities of the country Douala and Yaoundé. A substantial part of this production, we learn from the departmental delegation of agriculture, is even sold to neighbouring countries such as Gabon, Nigeria and Equatorial Guinea.

Due to the perishable nature of this fruit, about 30% of the avocado production in the Bamboutos is sometimes lost after the harvest, the Agriculture departmental delegation notes. The latter unit already dreams of seeing this losses disappear thanks to the implantation of this processing unit, which would thus offer producers a new outlet located not far from the farms.

At the moment in Cameroon, avocado is essentially used for food consumption needs. However, experts have found virtues for the avocado in the manufacture of hair treatment products, even skin treatment products. So many opportunities which could be facilitated by the construction of the avocado oil extraction unit announced in the city of Mbouda.