- Cameroon has removed VAT on locally produced flours from corn, yam, cassava, and plantain starting January 1, 2025
- The removal of VAT is expected to reduce the market prices of these flours by 19.25%
- This policy is part of Cameroon’s strategy to reduce dependency on imported wheat and promote local flour production
- Wheat imports decreased by 31.6% in 2023 but still cost Cameroon CFA178.3 billion
- France, Poland, Russia, and Germany are the main suppliers of wheat to Cameroon
- The government previously allowed up to 15% of local flours to be used in bread production
- A training program was launched to teach young Cameroonians to make pastries with local flours
- A production platform was established targeting 5 million tons of local flours by 2030
- President Paul Biya reported 12,800 tons of local flours were produced in 2024
- Significant investments are needed to adapt mills for processing local tubers instead of wheat
Source: businessincameroon.com
Note that this post was (partially) written with the help of AI. It is always useful to review the original source material, and where needed to obtain (local) advice from a specialist.
