• Cameroon targets 1.15M tons milk output by 2035
• $500M plan backs genetics, feed, health, and equipment upgrades
• Aims to cut imports, meet rising domestic dairy demand
  

Cameroon plans to raise annual milk output to 1.15 million tons by 2035, part of a 305.7 billion CFA francs ($500 million) dairy strategy launched last year. According to the Ministry of Livestock, Fisheries and Animal Industries (MINPIA), the strategy is designed to reduce the country's reliance on imports, Business in Cameroon reports. Farmers have been equipped with modern milking machines, refrigerated tanks, tractors and other gear, and secured a financing partnership with Bange Bank, Livestock Minister Taïga said at a handover ceremony in Yaoundé on Sept. 23.

Domestic demand is about 300,000 tons a year, while production reached 176,600 tons in 2023, leaving a shortfall of more than 120,000 tons, ministry data show. Imports covered the gap, with Cameroon spending 75.6 billion CFA francs ($124 million) last year on milk and derivatives, including powdered milk.

The government is channeling 111.5 billion francs into genetics, 92.3 billion into animal health, and 72.7 billion into feed, with the remainder allocated to processing, research and governance. A new breeding center in Wakwa, Adamawa region, will start operating this year, producing 500 semen doses and 300 embryos annually to expand artificial insemination to 276,000 cows.

The plan builds on earlier efforts, including the import of 495 Montbéliarde heifers under the Prodel project, aimed at boosting yields. Production grew 2% in 2023, but the government says hitting the 2035 target will require sustained investment and faster rollout of these programs.