On Saturday June 28, 2025, a number of organic producers took part in the event. The event took place in the Elig-Essono district, where quality fruit, vegetables and other organic produce were on display.
The headquarters of the Support Service for Local Development Initiatives (SAILD) was the setting for this third edition of the Yaoundé organic market. Stalls were set up to offer visitors guaranteed organic fruit and vegetables. These included tomatoes, Chinese apples, dried beans, potatoes, honey, carrots, lettuces, leeks, melon, manioc, rabbit, avocado, corn, plantains, verbena, lemongrass, green onions, leeks, turnips, nightshade, fennel, beet… There are also a number of organically-raised animal species, including catfish, broiler chickens and rabbits.
The market stall is also dedicated to the sale of organic processed products. These include therapeutic ginger and artemisia drinks, pistachio and sunflower cooking oils, papaya and carrot essential oils, and turmeric capsules.
Consumers flock in waves to do their shopping. Véronique Keou comes from the Dragage district. She’s a devotee of this organic market. In her basket are vegetables and fruit of various varieties. “For organic produce, distance isn’t a problem. I don’t look at the price, but at what I earn. I take advantage of occasions like this to stock up on healthy produce. Organic food guarantees good health. I’ve realized that the secret lies in what I eat”, she confides.
Promoting organic
For this edition, the aim is to offer products of enhanced quality. Some twenty producers took part. From the Central and Western regions of Cameroon, their aim is to sell off stocks and promote organic produce. Among them was William Ngouagni from Bandjoun (West). “I arrived with 30 kilograms of dried beans and have already sold 10kg. Out of 10kg of catfish, I sold 06kg”, he reveals. A few meters away, Evelyne Boum offers ginger-based products from Central France. The stand is a hive of activity. “We mainly process ginger, which contributes to beauty and well-being. We have a 100% natural range of juices, syrups and massera oil at prices ranging from 1,500F CFA to 2,500F CFA. The organic market is a window through which we can make ourselves known and win customers. Over and above sales, I’ve been able to establish contacts with consumers”, admits the Mbô Nilamâ representative.
This 3rd edition of the Yaoundé organic market, organized by SAILD in partnership with the Bandjoun Polyvalent Training Center (CPF), has seen a number of innovations. “Today we have a diversity of products, and it wasn’t as busy during the last edition. The other innovation is essentially logistical: we have appropriate stands to guarantee product hygiene, because organic means quality. This is in line with the standard set by the “Knowledge Center for Organic Agriculture and Agroecology in Africa” project promoted by CCAB ”, declared Marie Pauline Voufo of SAILD.
Organic farming is gaining ground in Cameroon, and is positioning itself as the solution to the health-damaging effects of chemical farming. The Yaoundé organic market has brought organic products closer to consumers, facilitating contact between producers and customers, and building consumer loyalty to organic products.
- Sharon Maché
The aim of the organic market is to show the people of Yaoundé what an organic product is. They need to be able to distinguish the fruits of organic farming, with no added synthetic chemicals, from those of conventional agriculture. It’s an opportunity to make consumers aware of the benefits of organic produce, and to reassure them that these products are indeed organic, and how to access them. After all, it’s just one stage in a process that has been set up with the support of a number of players, from production in the field in accordance with agro-ecological standards to the conquest of markets. To be precise, the organic market is a test market for what is being done in the field. It also enables producers to realize that there is a need and a demand in the capital. And it’s a place where links are forged between producers and consumers.
Hozier Nana Chimi, SAILD General Secretary.
