Residents at the plantations of Hévéa du Cameroun (Hévécam) in the boroughs of Lokoundje and Kribi II, all located in the southern region, are no longer in good terms with officials of this agro-industrial company.

This is what was derived from a crisis meeting which was recently organised in the town of Kribi, by the prefect of the Department of Ocean, in order to overcome the disagreements between the two parties.

Sources stated that the residents of Hevecam accused the rubber producer of monopolizing cultivable lands, by going beyond the limits of some of its concessions. This situation, they indicated in a memorandum relayed by the government daily, deprives the people of means of subsistence which is generally obtained by the practice of agricultural activities on the disputed land.

Hevecam denounced “illegal occupation of land” granted to the company by the Cameroonian State. In support of this denunciation, the agro-industrial company reported that in the town of Elogbatindi, for example, the populations have occupied a dozen hectares on its concessions, by planting palm oil and cocoa.

A tour is, therefore envisaged, in order to unravel the issue. The agro-industrial company mainly controlled by Chinese Sinochem International, Hévécam is one of the producers of natural rubber in Cameroon, with the Cameroon Development Corporation (CDC), public company with which Hévécam also shares the status of major employers in the country after the State.

Hévécam currently operates 22,000 hectares of plantations and plans to extend them to the other 18,000 hectares granted by the Cameroonian State in 2012.