Minister Mbairobe cuts ribbon, officially handing the fleet of heavy duty equipment to NOWERICA
The North West Rice Cooperatives Association (NOWERICA) has received a fleet of modern agricultural and logistics equipment to support land development and scale up rice production across the North West Region.
The equipment package includes four Toyota pickup vehicles, six motorbikes, one front-end loader, one grader, one compactor, one excavator, one dump truck, and two lorries. The materials were officially handed over to the President of the Board of Directors of NOWERICA, Nzerem Methodious, in Bamenda on Wednesday, 30 December 2025, by the Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, Gabriel Mbairobe.
Over the past year, NOWERICA has also benefited from fertilizers, herbicides, sprayers, and wheelbarrows valued at 151 million francs. According to Nzerem Methodious, 75.5 million francs of this amount will be reimbursed by farmers into the cooperative to serve as a revolving fund that will sustain future production support.
Minister Mbairobe speaking to the press
With Cameroon seeking to significantly reduce national rice imports currently estimated at more than 600,000 tons annually, the Minister urged the cooperative to intensify production efforts.
“Use this equipment for the benefit of the community and to increase rice production. The government’s vision is for Cameroon to become a rice-exporting nation. With ongoing investments in NOWERICA and UNVDA, the North West Region is steadily emerging as a key hub for rice production,” Minister Mbairobe said.
Nzerem Methodious, Board Chair of NOWERICA
He further noted that UNVDA’s new processing plant has the capacity to process up to 100,000 tons of paddy rice per year.
The equipment handover formed part of activities marking the 6th Steering Committee Meeting of the Rice Value Chain Development Program (RVCDP). During the session, a budget of 24 billion francs was approved for land development and increased rice production in 2026 across the North West, West, and Northern Regions. The funds will support the opening of farm-to-market roads and the equitable distribution of farm inputs to farmers.
The fleet of cars and heavy duty equipment was handed to NOWERICA at the cost of 2.4 billion Francs.
By
Ndi Tsembom Elvis
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