Efforts to boost the second-generation agriculture to foster development and alleviate poverty in the North West region have been harnessed through the Cameroon/ADB FCFA 19.2 billion funding towards the Grassfield project II launched in the Tubah/Santa and Widikum production basins.

In effect, the grassfield support project for infrastructures and rural development (GP DERUDEP) Phase II is expected to improve and further reduce poverty in a region where over 70 per cent of the population depend on agriculture for their livelihood.

This project which is the phase I of GP DERUDEP plans to rehabilitate about 159 km of farm-to-market roads in the neighbourhoods of the Santa/ Tubah and Widikum production basins.

Launching activities in Santa and Widikum recently; Project team leaders, Muluh Gregory Nguh and Fobuzo Benjamin revealed that, the project had drawn a huge plan to boost palm oil production with 1,610 hectares of palm oil to establish a new oil mill and rehabilitation old mill at the Widikum palm oil cooperative. The basin will also nurse 300,000 new cocoa seedlings to improve cocoa production.

About 40 improved cocoa driers will be constructed and 1,000 hectares of new plantain plantations will be developed to cultivate improved plantain suckers. It came out during the launch in Widikum that 300 hectares of cassava farms will be developed to carry two million improved cassava cuttings and 10 cassava processing units planted.

Apart from that, eight warehouses and three markets are expected to be constructed to serve the Santa/Tubah kingdom of Irish potato production and market gardening products.

It is Fubuzo Benjamin, the Agronomist of the project who told CT that about 288 tons of seeds have been organised for ensure a boost in production. Irrigation schemes have also been adopted to support the all-year-round production of Irish potatoes in the Santa/Tubah. All these inputs featured prominently on the agenda of Grassfield Phase II.

The project will also be working with the North West Cooperative Association (NWCA) to improve coffee production in the Santa area. Conceived to run till 2018, the project intends to impact on the livelihoods of the population by significantly increasing the income levels of farmers by adding value to their activities.

Its participatory approach has been designed to cover project activities in the selected four basins of Santa / Tubah, Widikum, Mbonso, and Gayama. The respective basins offer huge potentials in the production of Irish potatoes, coffee, palm oil, maize, plantains, rice, Soya Beans etc.