The Upper Nun Valley Development Authority, (UNVDA) has welcomed a fresh push to step up rice production with the special offer of 10 tractors, four rice seedling trans-planters, two seed planters, two corn seed planters, a combined harvester for rice, four giant motor pumps and various accessories from the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (MINADER). It is all about moving the 12.000 farmers of the agro-industry away from traditional to mechanised or second-generation agriculture in the hope of reducing incessant rice importation in the country.

In effect, beneficiary UNVDA staff and farmers have ten days in UNVDA demonstration farms in Ndop to receive practical lessons on planting, transplanting and maintenance of the tractors. The machines have a capacity to plant a hectare within an hour against what initially obtained when farmers spent over a week to cover a hectare. Beneficiaries are also drilled on nursery bed preparations through nurseries to rice seedling transplanting with CENEEMA experts and the Indian-born, Amolak Singh Chauhan of the tractors assembly firm lecturing.

The General Manager of UNVDA, Chin Richard Wirnkar told Cameroon Tribune that the innovations will help the agro-industry cultivate larger rice farms with less labour intensive efforts at cheaper cost and increase production from the current 15.000 metric tonness annually to over 100.000 metric tonnes per annum. The Divisional Delegate of Agriculture and Rural Development for Ngoketunjia, Shey Wirsiy Fabian also told CT that the farm tools will help UNVDA improve rice production, up from 2-3 tonnes per hectare to 7-8 tonnes.

The tractors and planters constitute an inspiration for UNVDA to fully exploit its huge potentials for rice production with some 15.000 hectares of land available. The agro-industry has worked in the recent past with many rice farmers for only 2,562 hectares of farmlands exploited. Rice production is in short supply in Cameroon with national production at barely 175.000 metric tonnes a year against 650.000 metric tonnes required for domestic use. That is perhaps why the offer of second-generation farm equipment to UNVDA inspire hope in their commitment to step up rice production and reduce importation. UNVDA grows irrigated rice, variety 14, Tainan 5 and Nerica.