NW Young Farmers Decry Gov’t Neglect

Minister Henri Ayebe Ayisi

A national programme to support young farmers in the northwest region is reportedly creating tension between Bali youths and beneficiary’s of the government sponsored project. Some 68 youths who are involved in the young farmers settlement programme known by its French acronym PIJA project in Gyen Mbo are currently disgruntled with government’s handling of a long term land crisis between the youths of the project and owners of the land offered to them for their farming projects.

            The villages of Ngyen Mbo and Bali had been fighting over the said piece of land for long. An injunction order was passed by the government which then handed over the disputed land to the youths of the PAIJA programme without proper negotiations with the initial owners of the land.

            The decision provoked anger and animosity from the neighbouring Bali youth who have on several occasions confronted the young farmers, destroyed their crops wounding some in the process.

            The Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, it should be recalled recruited and trained over 700 youths from all over the country and provided them with land in their various localities to which they  were to carry out their various  projects.

            In a recent pres outing, Minister Henri Ayebe Ayisi said PIJA was created in 2007 to encourage the Cameroonian youth to be self employed, especially in the domain of agriculture and livestock. Government has so far spent about FCFA 150 million in the North West region out of the total cost of FCFA 1 billion at the national level.

            The young farmers have cried out that each year when they plant their crops and when they get to maturity, Bali youth move in at night cutting everything down

            According to Celencia Malla Yombo, one of the first batches of the project in 2007, she has been planting year in and out without harvesting.

            ”I keep planting cash crops every year and have never benefited. We are to receive 20.000 token fees for upkeep but for close to 4yrs now we have not had a dime. We were given imputes only at the start f the project but were immediately abandoned. The two tractors bought for the project at the start has been fuelled all along by us on loan expecting reimbursement. In 2014 I planted 1.500 coffee seeds and maize. Just when the plants had gotten to maturity when Bali youths moved in January 2018 and cut everything down. We went to the national coordinator and have been to see the minister of agriculture and rural development and they all promised us that by February 11 something will be done, but nothing has been done for now” the young farmer bemoaned.

            The said youths as she narrated have met with the sdo for momo and the governor of the northwest region without any fruitful results.