The South West Regional Delegate of Agriculture and Rural Development, MINADER, Jackson Tapi has appeased farmers in Bangem Sub Division by launching the 2024 farming season in Bangem, Kupe Muanenguba Division.
The launching ceremony took place on March 15, 2024 at Paul Biya’s Stadium Bangem.
Bangem farmers have been in tears following huge losses incurred in preparation of the festival, as the Bangem lap of the program on December 2, 2023, was canceled at the last minute.
Addressing farmers from Bangem, Nguti and Tombel Sub Divisions, the delegate said he is aware of all the preoccupations of farmers in the region and Bangem in particular, reason he decided to launch the farming/cropping season in Bangem.
Tapi pleaded that Bangem was not totally abandoned from hosting the Banana Plantains Festival. He said security and financial requirements were not mobilized right on the eve of the event. According to him, this made it difficult to continue with the Bangem lap of the festival.
The delegate assured that the government will soon install a coffee hulling machine in Bangem that will completely transform coffee into finished products for consumption.
At the end of the ceremony, the Regional Delegate donated bags of fertilizer, wheelbarrows, cutlasses, hoes and watering cans, amongst others to 13 groups from Bangem, three from Tombel and two from Nguti.
Farmers Representative
The representative of the Bangem Farmers Union, Kang Louis Akide analyzed the degree of loses incurred by Bangem farmers who had kept their plantains in view of the festival. He said the population of Bangem is not happy the way Bangem was treated.
However, Kang expressed joy on the numerous measures the government is taking to improve farming in Kupe Muanenguba and South West Region in general.
He mentioned the ACEFA project, the promised plantain transformation unit in Bangem and the provision of hybrid seeds to farmers through SOWEDA in Nyan village.
Kang presented challenges faced by farmers which include; the continuous damage of crops by locust, absence of farm to market roads, the non-completion of the MINADER Kupe Muanenguba building, lack of farm inputs and the long awaited coffee hulling machines.
Meanwhile, the Senior Divisional Officer of Kupe Muanenguba, Mungambo Ekema William pleaded with farmers to see this year as another opportunity to massively engage in the planting of crops and also make good use of the items donated to them.
He also joined his voice with that of the Regional Delegate to enumerate some of the efforts made by the government like, the supply of fertilizers at a 70% payment rate, the donation of inputs to farmers, among others.
Also present was the Divisional Officer for Bangem Sub Division, Dairou Saly, the Mayor of Bangem Council, Ekungwe Kang Christopher, the Divisional Delegate of Agriculture and Rural Development, Kupe Muanenguba, Ngoe Ngoe Oscar and other stakeholders.
By Glovise Forsoh
