Milk Self-Sufficiency: What Cameroon Must Still Do

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Milk Self-Sufficiency: What Cameroon Must Still Do

Cameroon spends FCFA 75.6 billion yearly to import 120,000 tonnes of milk and derivatives like powder milk.

16 Sep 2026 15:27

C ameroon has a strong agricultural and livestock potential; however, the country continues to rely heavily on imported dairy products to meet growing do mestic demand. Milk, therefore, represents an important test of the government’s ambition to implement import substitu tion, producing locally what the country currently spends foreign exchange to buy from abroad. The government has already identified dairy cattle as one of the priority sectors under the Integrated Agropastoral and Fisheries Import-Substitution Plan (PIISAH). Its own planning documents acknowledge that achieving milk self-sufficien cy will require a much faster increase in domestic produc tion. The challenge now is to move from policy declarations and projections to sustained investment across the entire milk value chain. Cameroon produces 176,600 tonnes, and there is a government target of 1.1 million tonnes by 2035. The priority lies in increasing the productivity of cattle, which means improving local breeds through genetic selection and artificial insemination, stren gthening veterinary services, controlling animal diseases, and making productive animals more accessible to farmers. Cameroon cannot achieve self-sufficiency simply by in creasing the number of cattle; it must increase the quantity of milk produced per animal. The second priority is feed and water, meaning reliable produc tion of quality fodder, pasture development, and access to water throughout the year are essential. Some in the sector believe that the government should support farmers with improved forage seeds, irriga tion, feed-processing facilities, and training, which will go a long way to reduce seasonal fluctuations in milk supply. In addition, Cameroon needs to invest in milk collection, cold storage, processing, and trans portation. Many producers, particularly in rural areas, lose income ...