Technical Adviser, Ministry of Scientific Research and Innovation, Cameroon, Professor Ngonkeu Eddy said there’s a need for African countries to upscale investment in the wheat value chain.
While speaking at the Regional Wheat Summit, 2023, on the theme: “Wheat Value Addition: Enhancing Utilization for Healthy Living and Economic Diversification”, Ngonkeu said African nations need to address the problems facing wheat production and create strategic ways to solve them.
In his words: “We have been producing wheat in Cameroon since 1975. And since then, we have reached 120, 000 hectares. But we also have a couple of problems we have faced which are three specifically. One is soil acidity. The soil acidity dropped our reproduction heat. There is also the problem of processing. Another is the small equipment.
“It is one of the reasons we gather here today to address these issues to map out a way to solve them. There is a dire need to solve the technical problem of harvesting, drying, and storage before thinking of processing the wheat to flour.
“If we don’t have the cognition to share scientific technology, we cannot reach our goal. That’s why I am here at this summit particularly to put forward all the technical aspects we need to upscale our investments”, he added.