Cameroon will boost production of locally made goods as part of new measures to handle the economic hardships resulting from the COVID-19 outbreak, the country’s Minister of Trade, Luc Magloire Mbarga Atangana said on Friday.

He said the Made in Cameroon initiative holds the key to the successful economic growth and recovery in the country, which is hit by the pandemic.

“We need to consume what we produce and produce what we consume,” Atangana told reporters in the capital Yaounde a day after the country’s Cabinet Meeting recommended the promotion of local production.

Cameroon needs more investments in food and local manufacturing sectors in a bid to promote domestic production and stimulate local consumption habits, he said.

Government intends to support local companies, accelerate the supply of large irrigated areas, supply improved seeds to smallholder farmers and subsidize fertilizer, Atangana said.

Containment measures against COVID-19 pandemic in Cameroon have seen the overall volume of trade in the first half of 2020 dropped by 16 percent, according to the country’s trade ministry.

Source: Xinhuanet