The Pilot Programme for Cocoa, Coffee, and Cotton (2P3C) is one of several initiatives by the Cameroon Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (MINADER) aimed at increasing the productivity and produce quality of the commodity sector of the country. In 2009 the Pilot Programme provided a grant of 23 Million FCFA to Chede Cooperative Union Ltd to be used for the most part for the purchase of farm inputs (fertilizer, fungicides, and knapsack sprayers) for the benefit of Chede Union members engaged in cocoa and coffee production.
The grant was utilized between November 2009 and April 2010 in accordance with the grant agreement signed between MINADER 2P3C and Chede Cooperative Union Ltd. Agreed inputs were procured and distributed to Chede member groups shown in the table below.
However, the inputs proved patently inadequate relative to the farming needs of the beneficiary groups. Accordingly, in its report to the Vice Prime Minister in charge of Agriculture and Rural Development on the implementation of the grant, Chede Cooperative Union relayed the collective plea of its member groups involved in cocoa and coffee production to have the amount of the next grant in 2010 significantly increased, and to cover the cost of building a concrete and secure produce warehouse in Muambong.
The inputs distributed to member groups must be considered as credit or pre-financing at subsidized costs (25 per cent below retail selling costs). By the terms of the agreement signed with the Pilot Programme, Chede is expected to constitute an input revolving fund from payments for the inputs to be made by the beneficiary groups after the sale of their produce (cocoa and coffee) through Chede commercial channels. Preliminary estimates of the impact of the Pilot Programme suggest a significant value for money in the order of 5 times the value of the grant at farm-gate price in 2010 with respect to coffee, for example.
2009 2P3C Grant beneficiaries under Chede Cooperative Union Ltd
| FARMER GROUP | LOCATION | PREDOMINANT CROP(S) | 2009 PRODUCTION (TONNES) | TYPE(S) OF INPUTS NEEDED |
| 1. Chede Muafcoop | Muambong, Kupe | Coffee | 1000 | Fertilizer/herbicide/insecticides |
| 2. Chede Agric Project CIG | Muambong, Kupe | Coffee | 50 | Fertilizer/herbicide/insecticides |
| 3. Tente Asome CIG | Mwetan, Kupe | Coffee | 300 | Fertilizer/herbicides/insecticides |
| 4. Uplands Coop | Limbe, Fako | Cocoa | 400 | Fungicides |
| 5. Kumafcoop | Tombel and Bangem | Cocoa and coffee | 50 cocoa 200 coffee |
Fertilizer/fungicides/Herbicides/ insecticides |
| 6. Bajafcoop | Bangem and Nguti | Cocoa | 500 | Fungicides/herbicides |
| 7. Merwomac Coop | Kumba, Meme | Cocoa | 30 | Fungicides/herbicides |
| 8. Mbaf-Coop | Tombel, Kupe | Cocoa | 60 | Fungicides/herbicides |
| TOTAL COFFEE | 1 550 | |||
| TOTAL COCOA | 1 040 | |||