"Mobilization and capacity-building for small and medium-scale enterprises
involved in the non-wood forest product value chains in Central Africa"
This policy brief presents the Prunus africana value chain in Cameroon with regard to the production, processing, marketing
and uses, and the opportunities and constraints linked to the sustainable management of this product. It is drawn from the
baseline study on Prunus africana in the North-West and South-West Regions of Cameroon, carried out in 2008 by Abdon
Awono, Diomède Manirakiza and Verina Ingram of CIFOR.
Policy Brief No. 1 (October 2009)
Recommendations
1-
Lay down formal norms for the exploitation of Prunus
africana in a legislative or statutory instrument;
2-
Promote domestication and guarantee the resistance of
plants and best genetic characteristics;
3-
Train and sensitise producers on sustainable harvesting
techniques;
4-
Conduct regular Prunus inventories to control its available
potential and ensure the equitable allocation of exploitation
quotas;
5-
Set out appropriate control mechanisms to monitor the
implementation of allocated quotas;
6-
Build exporters’ capacities with a view to ensuring proper
compliance with international market requirements.
2. Uses of Prunus africana
Prunus is widely used as a medicinal plant. Its importance
lies in the healing properties of the extracts from its bark,
used in the manufacture of more than 19 drugs sold in the
European and American markets and for the treatment of
benign prostatic hypertrophy. Traditionally, the leaves,
roots and barks are used as purgatives for livestock,
febrifuge or antipyretic for the treatment of stomach
aches, pulmonary infection and fever. Its wood is used
locally for domestic purposes, for the making of axe
handles, hoes, pestles and mortars. In southern Africa,
Prunus wood is also used in the construction of carriages.
In Japan, the extract from its bark is used to prepare a
hair conditioner.
3. Prunus africana value chain and its stakeholders
1. Introduction
For long, logging was considered as the sole source of income
from the forest. The situation of the other forest resources,
commonly referred to as non-wood forest products (NWFPs)
was less preoccupying to the stakeholders despite their
importance in the life of the people. Prominent among the most
widely used NWFPs in Cameroon is Prunus africana, an
endemic species in tropical Africa and Madagascar. It is a
dominant species in Afro-montane forests where it grows up to
a height of between 600 and 3000 m. In Cameroon, the main
production niches are the South-West, North-West, Adamawa,
West and Littoral Regions. This forest resource is found in
natural environments and plantations. Rural areas and
particularly mountainous forest areas have been upgraded to
community forests with Prunus as a source of income.
Prunus was exploited in Cameroon mainly by the PLANTECAM
Company, which was issued an exploitation licence in 1976 and
therefore had the monopoly to export the product. The new
forestry law in Cameroon (Law No. 94/01 of 20 January 1994 to
lay down Forestry, Wildlife and Fisheries Regulations) sets out
new conditions of access to the resource by instituting, inter
alia, special permits, the usufruct or customary rights of those
who live close by the forest, and community forests. This new
legal framework set the pace for nationals who gradually got
involved in the sector and replaced PLANTECAM, which folded
up in 2000.
The Prunus value chain comprises the production zones
in the countries concerned, consumers of by-products
worldwide, and pharmaceutical industries in Europe and
elsewhere. Once the barks are peeled off in the
production areas in Cameroon, they are packaged and
transported mainly to the Douala port for export. The
Prunus value chain includes direct stakeholders, namely
grassroots
community
organisations
(producers),
intermediaries, semi-processors and exporters as well as
indirect
stakeholders
comprising
State-controlled
structures, development partners, research institutions,
local projects and non-governmental organizations
(NGOs).
As regards grassroots community organisations, a series
of community forests were set up in the North-West
Region. The management committees of these forests
have been exploiting Prunus over the years. Certain
producers are not part of the management committees of
community forests. In the South-West Region, producers
are organized in unions such as the Mapanja/Bokwango
Union of Prunus Producers, and many other unions
around Mount Cameroon. The said unions have been
grouped under the umbrella of "Mount Cameroon Prunus
Management" (MOCAP), which is like a federation. Like in
the other value chains, intermediaries serve as a link
between producers and exporters. The latter can export
Prunus in the form of barks or in powder form after some
basic processing by semi-processors.
The GCP/RAF/408/EC project dubbed "Mobilization and capacity-building for small and medium-scale enterprises involved in the non-wood forest
products value chains in Central Africa" funded by the European Union aims at stepping up the revenue of small and medium-sized enterprises
involved in the NWFP value chains as well as ensuring the sustainable management of forest resources for present and future generations.
This policy brief was drawn up by FAO and CIFOR in collaboration with the sub-Department of NWFPs (SDNL) in the Ministry of Forestry and Wildlife
(MINFOF) of Cameroon.
Concerning State-controlled structures, and with regard to
flora in Cameroon, the Ministry of Forestry and Wildlife
(MINFOF), which is the management organ of the
Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of
Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) lays down exploitation
conditions and coordinates activities linked to the allocation of
quotas of Prunus. The exploitation of Prunus is dependent on
the granting of an exploitation permit by public authorities.
About 9 percent in 2005 and 16 percent in 2006 of quotas
awarded were not exploited. As a scientific authority, the
National Forestry Development Support Agency (ANAFOR),
a semi-public structure, ensures control and compliance with
sustainable
management
standards
and
assumes
responsibility for forest regeneration. The Ministry of the
Environment and Nature Protection (MINEP) participates in
laying down environmental protection mechanisms.
Development partners, research institutions, local projects
and NGOs carry out Prunus-related activities in terms of
building the managerial and entrepreneurial capacities of
stakeholders, development of value chains, sustainable
management/domestication techniques and improving the
legal and institutional framework. More specifically, they are
interested in the biophysical and socio-economic aspects of
this species so as to ensure its conservation and contribution
to improving the living conditions of the people. In Cameroon,
the Prunus value chain employs at least 60,000 persons with
more than ten exploitation companies having exploitation
permits, and five export companies.
4. Opportunities and constraints
Cameroon remains one of the greatest suppliers of Prunus
internationally and considerable efforts are being made to
ensure its sustainable management. The tree is increasingly
being integrated in agro-forestry areas. Local NGOs
contribute to the protection of this species through
sensitisation meetings, the creation of nurseries and
collaborative support. Government is making increased effort
in the sustainable management of Prunus africana by
reducing exploitation quotas, implementing a tracking system
and conducting inventories of this resource. This momentum
is underpinned by development partners and research
institutions.
The exploitation of Prunus helps to improve the livelihoods of
the people and indirectly contributes to the attainment of the
Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). In the North-West
and South-West Regions, on the average, 35% of income
derived from its marketing is devoted to children’s education,
1% to feeding, 10% to family health issues, 10% to tree
planting, 5% to domestic needs, 7% to farm work and 15% to
other needs.
3. Marketing of Prunus africana
Prunus is sold on the international market in the form of bark,
powder and extract, with 56 percent, 33 percent and 11
percent respectively of the total volume sold between 1995
and 2004, that is, about 12,400 tons. Annual quantities varied
from 570 tons (1996) to 2,230 tons (1998). More than 90
percent of these volumes are imported by two countries:
France with 61.2 percent and Spain with 29.7 percent.
European countries constitute the major market for Prunus
from Cameroon, accounting for over 90% of imports. Spain
imports Prunus mainly in the form of powder and bark,
whereas France imports it essentially in the form of bark and,
to a lesser extent, in the form of powder and extract. Other
countries like Belgium, India, Singapore, the United Kingdom,
USA and China also import Prunus, but in very limited
proportions. As concerns export, Cameroon, Kenya, the
Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), Madagascar and
Equatorial Guinea account for more than 97 percent of the
total volume exported between 1995 and 2004.
Export volume has dwindled drastically in recent years. It
dropped from 1,498,500 kg in 2005 to 1,059,870 kg in 2006
and plummeted to 525,500 kg in 2007. Generally, actual
quantities exported by Cameroon over the past years have
remained below the quotas allocated by the State. Only 32
percent of quotas allocated were exported in 2007 and there
is no guarantee between the quotas allocated and the level of
availability of the resource. In 1998, the annual value of
Prunus sold on the international market was assessed at
USD 220,000,000. Cameroon’s share of this value stood at
38 percent. In 1999, the contribution of Prunus to the
Cameroonian economy was estimated at USD 700,000.
An analysis of the sale of Prunus in production areas reveals
that the price of the product harvested from community
forests and the price of the same resource harvested from
agro-forestry areas are identical. Prunus trees found in agroforestry areas belong to families and are sold individually.
Due to the numerous intermediaries on the one hand and the
poor organisation of members of community forests on the
other hand, prices have remained low. Comparing the price
of a kilogramme of bark in Cameroon with what obtains on
the international market, one realises that there is a huge
disequilibrium. The threshold in Cameroon is CFAF 260
(USD 0.56/kg) whereas the value of one kilogramme on the
international market is USD 2/kg.
Prunus nursery in the
Kumbo region (Photo CIFOR)
Peeling the bark of Prunus plant
(Photo CIFOR)
Despite these opportunities, the felling of Prunus and bush
fires as well as the harvesting of its wood leads to the
depletion of a considerable chunk of the stock of this species.
The harvesting of huge quantities of bark reduces tree
heights by 50 percent, and impacts on its regeneration
capacity. Prunus management policy is centralised. The
suspension of Prunus exports from Cameroon to European
Union countries led to unsold stocks during fiscal year 2007.
Certain producers argue that, subsequently, it would be good
to cut down Prunus trees and prioritise its use in sculpture
and as fire wood.
Furthermore, exporters interviewed talked about difficulties
linked to the granting of permit, the complexity of the
production system that is characterised by the use of archaic
means in a very hostile environment in terms of climate and
altitude.
5. Conclusion
There is increased demand for Prunus, and this has as
consequence the over-exploitation of the resource. Mindful of
its importance in improving the living conditions of the people,
its sustainable management is of concern to all stakeholders.
Contacts :
Ousseynou Ndoye: Regional Coordinator and National
Coordinator in Cameroon
PO Box 281, Yaoundé, Cameroon
Tel: +237 22 20 24 72, +237 75 29 70 67; Fax : +237 22 20 48 11
Email : Ousseynou.Ndoye@fao.org / ousseynou_ndoye@yahoo.fr
Sophie Grouwels : Lead Technical Officer in Rome
FAO, Rome, Italy
Tel: +39 06 570 55299, Cell: +39 346 240 1970
Email : Sophie.Grouwels@fao.org
Web site: www.fao.org/forestry/site/43005/en