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Farmers and companies in the food processing sector have begun exhibiting their produce at the National Museum in Yaounde. The event is the sixth edition of the international agrifood expo, codenamed SIALY, organised by REFLEX enterprise in collaboration with the Ministry of Mines, Industries and Technological Development (MINMIDT) under the patronage of the Prime Minister, Head of Government. It was officially opened on July 3 by Fru Jonathan, Secretary General of MINMIDT on behalf of Minister Gabriel Dodo Ndoke. The MINMIDT SG said the exhibition comes at the appointed time as it would encourage brainstorming on development strategies for agricultural projects and programmes being implemented by government in partnership with the private sector and also promote ‘Made in Cameroon’ products. Bibiane Motto Atsama, General Manager of REFLEX on her part, said the show has brought together over 200 exhibitors including farmers, agricultural equipment manufacturers, and food processing industries, project designers, funding organisations, research institutions, inventors and innovators, among others. While emphasising the significance of theme of this year’s edition (agriculture and agribusiness: driving force for development), she noted that it was an opportunity for exhibitors and visitors to mingle and learn how they could benefit from each other and to contribute to the emergence of Cameroon. Conspicuously present in their numbers at the exhibition are local companies processing cocoa and coffee into diverse finished and semi-finished products like Nasso Coa of Tamn Foods Douala and the Dame Capables of Mengong who process cocoa into candy, butter and edible powder among others. Also present are state-backed projects and programmes that promote the development of several sub-domains in the agricultural sector, one of which is National Project for Revamping and Development of Cocoa and Coffee Sector. “We are not here to sell anything. We are like the middlemen between government and farmers. We are here to reach out to cocoa and coffee farmers who may have problems or good proposals that need government assistance. It could involve issues of pesticide use, fertilisers, or spraying machines; we write them down and send them to the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development from whence their help would come,” said Juverte Mbonde, noting that the event is not just for sales of products.

_{Sce Cameroon-Tribune}