Making a plan for sustainable growth of Cameroon’s shrimp sector

16 June 2022, Douala – Supporting economic growth and livelihoods while working towards a more sustainable value chain are at the heart of a three-days meeting in Douala where stakeholders and experts discuss a ten-year development plan to overhaul Cameroon’s shrimp sector and unlock its full potential.   

The plan is the result of a sector-wide dialogue on how to bolster the economic, social and environmental sustainability of Cameroon’s shrimp value chain.  

It envisions a 40% increase of shrimp sales on high value markets over the next ten years to support economic growth and improve livelihoods without increasing the burden on the environment by keeping catches at current levels of 5 000 tonnes. 

The plan is based on a value chain analysis conducted by FISH4ACP, an initiative of the Organization of African, Caribbean and Pacific States (OACPS) implemented by FAO with funding from the European Union (EU) and the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ), to make fish value chains more productive and sustainable. 

The analysis found that Cameroon’s shrimp fishery offers great potential for growth, but pointed at the need to ensure that growth goes hand in hand with environmental sustainability. 

“We hope that FISH4ACP will enable Cameroon to develop its shrimp industry through the enhancement of all the links in the value chain, in order to make Cameroon’s shrimp competitive,” said Élie Badaï, representative of the Ministry of Livestock, Fisheries and Animal Industries.

Worth around USD 85 million per year, the sector is dominated by industrial players who account for some 80% of catches, while artisanal fishers catch the remaining 20%. It employs some 2 000 people, one third of them women, and provides affordable and healthy food to a large part of Cameroons population.   

Discussions during the three-day meeting in Douala are expected to result in concrete steps to make shrimp fishing more sustainable with better control and surveillance and more participative governance, while improving sanitary conditions and supporting marketing to facilitate access to high value markets, including the European Union. 

“FISH4ACP aims to increase the competitiveness and economic sustainability of the shrimp value chain in order to enhance people’s food and nutritional security,” said Athman Mravili, FAO Representative in Cameroon, adding: “This fits perfectly with FAO’s “four betters” in production, nutrition, environment and living conditions, as well as the achievement of the sustainable development goals on “no poverty”, “zero hunger” and “reduced inequalities”.”