Jean Keutcha, Former Secretary of State for Agriculture in East Cameroon and Former Minister of Agriculture of the United Republic of Cameroon.


Excellency, you organized the first ever agro pastoral show in Cameroon, the one in Buea in 1973. Thirty seven years after the show or say twenty years that we have had no other show in Cameroon, the head of state has just announced the show in Ebolowa. How do you feel ?

It's a good thing, given the importance of this event for the rural area. This is when we give great visibility to our country, our economy, tourism potentials. This was also the opportunity for socio-economic infrastructure to be constructed in the region that was hosting the show. You understand that I can only welcome the wise decision of the Head of State

How important were the shows when you were in command ?
The show was intended to boost agriculture and promote food self-sufficiency. It was also about making people understand that oil was not the only resource, as they thought, , but also agriculture. We did not give importance only to production but also to the producers, with prizes, awards, medals. The producer was really a king and as such, it was said that farmers were the "lords of the earth." It was not enough to affirm it. It had to be proven by actions and gestures.

What did you do to achieve your goals ?
We used every means to work. Nothing was overlooked: financial, human and material. To encourage producers to participate, they were made to understand that the soil does not lie, she asked that we take the first step towards her and she pays you back a hundredfold. Initially, quite a good number of producers were not receptive. We needed to find tricks to convince them of the importance of agric shows for themselves and find strategies to make them adhere to the idea. One of these strategies was to keep the demonstrations gardens under the security guards who had as recommendation to allow the plants to be stolen. We knew that people would imagine that they were monitored because it was important.

I'll tell you another story: at the time there was an agronomist named Zechariah Ketchetmen (we apologize if the name is misspelled-editor's note) who hosted a program on agriculture on the radio (There was no TV then). He had an original funny voice that made listeners to laugh. For example, when he called my name it had a Bangante accent, my village. So to attract producers I made Ketchetmen to talk. His odd voice made people to laugh but my message was passed on.

During your time, who decided to organize a show and why Buea and not another town ?
We made our proposals and the decision was taken in the highest office. The head of state alone decided to hold an agric show. Buea was chosen not only for tourism, (it is on this occasion that the first Mount Cameroon race was organized but also to discover the former German occupation.) but also for political reasons (it came just a year after the unification of the 2 parts of Cameroon in 1972 and we had to show to the world the reality of national cohesion).
In short, the agric show was not only a feast; it was a development strategy, a strategy for strengthening national unity by M.N


“An agric show at that time was just like a market”

Nyanjoh Joseph Muluh Sunday, SDDARD Tubah

Which national agric shows did you take part in their organization and what was your part?
I started in 1984 when I was working in Jakiri. During the period of national agric shows, there was usually best farm competitions and so I prepared a farm at Mvem which came second at the national level and by the time the show in the Far North was organized I was already in the South West in Ndian, I prepared the farmers from the planting season up to the time of harvest. That is exactly what I did.

How long did it take you to prepare the farmers?
It depends on the crop. For most of the tubers, you make sure you work with the farmers from land preparation, seed selection, maintenance, harvesting and then selection.
How did you select the farmers who represented the areas where you were working at the agric show ?
I know the criteria for each crop. Let us take maize for instance. They look at the cop and the grain size. So I scan through the area and see those who have the best ones and I pre-select them and then make a final selection.

At what level did you do the selection ?
The selection was done at sub divisional level.
Did your farmers win prizes and what kind of prizes ?
In 1984, I was Chief of agric Post in Nkar and the best farm I selected won second at the national level. In 1988, I was in Ndian where the area was predominantly Tubers and they came back with large numbers of prizes though I cannot remember exactly which positions.

Can you remember what the person in Mvem really won as a second prize at the national level ?
It was a cash prize of about 500000 Cfa francs at that time.
Can you explain the ambiance at an agric show at the time ?
There was a lot of discovery. An agric show at that time was just like a market. You go there and find something which you have never seen before. Sometimes you think that you have not been working before. When you see some other crops which are by far better than your own, it pricks your imagination and you try to find out how this person did it to get to this level. It was that very idea that was brought down to the municipal shows.

How did your farmers get to the agric show ?
It was purely the responsibility of the ministry of agriculture. The Ministry transported them too and fro. The ministry even lodged them and fed them.
What happened to the farmers after the agric show ?
It was just like an examination. When a child gets to school and at the end of the year he passes his exam successfully, the child is motivated. It is the same with the farmers. Some of the very active farmers today are those that won prizes at those national agric shows. To win is one thing and to maintain that position is important so they make sure they work to maintain that position. Those who have won are the ones still wining.

How are you preparing your farmers for the Ebolowa national agro pastoral show ?
It is interesting to note that, that is an agric show I prepared for in 1990 and it failed. I was in Ndian at that time. Their main crop is tubers and you know that here I will be able to compete with them so I started by carrying out land preparation in a typical way which I might not want to release to you because it is an examination and if I release my secret some other farmers might take it.
How did you prepare the 1990 show that failed ?
It was marvellous because we did everything with the farmers and just up to the moment we were supposed to take off they said there was torrential rainfall.
How much did you use to prepare the farmers ?
I think I had a budget of 8.5 million Cfa francs at that time by J.F