Cameroonians may have munched beef, mutton, pork and chicken for the festive season unaware of the prices producers receive in the world market place, far away from Muea, Deido, Ndop and Mokolo. This is because most of the producers who supply Cameroon’s local markets are weakly chained to the global market, relying on simple extensive production systems. So, what dictates the prices they charge rests largely on their local cost of production and consumers’ good judgment to bargain or willingness to accept the prices offered by meat suppliers.

However, for export oriented large-scale modern producers in Cameroon, the workings of the global market place dictate their profit. Domestic prices in Cameroon are higher than the world market prices. This is because of the production surplus in Latin America, North America and Europe. These ‘funding beef’ dumped in the world market reduce prices. However, the global market price for beef, mutton, pork and poultry are all showing rising trends. The market price for beef is witnessing a surge catalyzed by the demand momentum in the North American and European market. In 2002 the world market price of beef was 95 US cents per pound, translating to a little more than 260 FCFA per Kg. The steady rise in beef price since 2003 has ensured that the price for 2005 is US cents 120 per pound, implying about 330 FCFA per Kg. In Cameroon, the average market price for a kg of beef is 2000 FCFA (US$ 4) for January 2009

The market for Mutton towers above that of beef. The dominant producers in the northern part of the country are betting for a continuous rise in 2008 and 2009. However, the world price has been strongly steady between 2007 and 2008 following a steady rise from 2002. The price in 2007 was US cents 146 per pound, translating to about 400 FCFA per kg. The price swung up into 2005 and stood at US cents 155 per pound or 425 FCA per Kg.

In Cameroon the situation is quiet different as the Northerners are no longer interested in bringing down their cattle to the Southern Region of the Republic reasons that the tax levied on them is very high and they cannot afford the transportation fee and other requirements. This is therefore resulting to the sky rocketing prices of cow meat in the South Region.

Meanwhile, the market for poultry has had its baptism of fire in recent months following producer and consumer panic on bird flu which is said to have attacked some poultry farms in the Northern Region of Cameroon. Some producers had had to slaughter and burn thousands of birds in that Part of the Country, Europe in an anxious attempt to limit the spread of the flu. However, with Cameroonian consumers still holding chicken in high value as a juicy and prestigious meat product on dinning tables, local producers had a field day in the festive season.

These particulars in the market place partly explains why rich nations subsidies their farmers and offer generous aid packages to induce local producers to stay in business. On the contrary the devil in the market is running amok in poor countries, as rich nations dump their low cost products into African markets and African producers plagued by absentee leadership on the part of their policy planners. These highlight the need for Cameroonian farmers to be resilient and be aided by government policies that boost production and play the market game with the assistance of better storage and transport facilities. The year 2007 would definitely be an interesting one for the market watchers!