Cameroon Entrepreneurs and Initiatives

 Thanks to EM Technology, organic farming can be done on large scale.

 -David Sama Ngoh, Director of EM Cameroon

David Sama Ngoh is the Director of EM Cameroon and promoter of Organic input in Cameroon using effective micro organisms in collaboration with EM Research Organisation in Japan. EM stands for Effective Micro Organisms and was introduced into Cameroon in 2005 promoting organic agriculture both for Agricultural Production and Livestock production. They have done quite a number of tests in Cameroon and the programme has been homologated by the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development. David Sama Ngoh had a Bachelor Degree in History from the University of Yaounde I and proceeded to Switzerland where he did a Post Graduate Programme in International Project Management in 2007. From there he moved to the UN Office in Geneva where he served for two and half years. When he discovered EM Technology, he returned to Cameroon and has been implementing it in the country for the past seven years. While in Cameroon, he went in for a second Masters Degree in International Relations at the Yaounde University I and is presently pursuing a Doctorate Degree in International Relations at the same University. He was interviewed by Francis Ekongang Nzante and begins by stating how he made that first contact with EM Technology. 

What pushed you into this line of activity?

In the year 2000 I was in Switzerland and got to see that organically produced crops were fetching a lot of money when compared to chemically produced crops. I got to know about the advantages of organically produced crops but I doubted if it was possible to produce organically on a large scale. When I was doing a Post Graduate Programme on Managing International Projects I came in contact with EM Technologies which is producing organically and on a large scale and that’s how I began EM Cameroon.

How do Cameroonians benefit from this project?

Those who really benefit from this project are the final beneficiaries. As a matter of fact EM Cameroon is collaborating with the Government that is through the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development MINADER who bought on a number of occasions in 2014, 2015 and 2016 a good consignment and distributed to farmers in Cameroon. Other collaborators include GP-DERUDEP programme, a number of NGOs and CIGs and a number of individuals who buy directly either from EM Cameroon or from some of our distributors. 

How can you make those who need you get to you and how do you educate those who are yet to know your relevance? 

The Agricultural Sector in Cameroon before and after Independence has been depending on chemical input but with the advent of new technology some have come to know about EM Technology. We have been holding seminars and Training Workshops at Regional and Divisional levels. We have made quite a number of publications of Seminar Reports which we have made available to both the Ministries of Agriculture and Rural Development and that of Livestock and Fisheries. We have been doing quite a lot but it is true the media coverage has not been quite enough. We are in a domain without a lot of financial influence with the need to get introduced to quite a number of people on the advantages of organically produced crops. The elite in our society already know about it and the less privileged ones down there seem to be doing it simply because they don’t have the means to go chemical. 

What kind of products are farmers expected to get from you?

We deal with Agricultural and Livestock Production. We have EM Compost which is the solid version made up of animal waste and a combination of micro organisms to boost the soil. We have the Foliar Fertilizer for all green crops. We have EM 5 which is for Pests and Disease Control. A combination of EM Compost, Foliar Fertilizer and EM 5 gives you a holistic solution for your agricultural needs. We also have EM for livestock which is given to animals to drink and it in turn builds the immune system. We equally have EM Bokashi which is a feed additive which we integrate into the animal feed and into EM 5 which is for Pests and Disease control. All of these will boost the immune system of the animals and mortality will be drastically dropped. You will discover that there is no odor and that the animal will grow in weight and size.

What is the quality of the vegetable that is grown using your products?

EM products have no negative effects on the human being, and the environment. With our products, you can spray the vegetable today, harvest it in the evening and even take it and consume without any negative effects like running stomachs that you experience with chemical products. This is because EM products or EM Technology is based on natural organisms. When you look at the life span of vegetables produced using EM Technology, you notice that they have a lifespan of about nine days unlike vegetable from chemical products which have a lifespan of about 5 days. Another aspect is the quality and taste of the product. That is why products from organic material are more expensive in the market. EM Products are not genetically modified and the elite in society know the value of products from organic material. Farmers know the advantages but can produce only on a small scale. Now however they can produce on a large scale if they use EM Products. Organically produced crops are not only meant for small scale subsistence farming. Thanks to EM Technology, organic farming can be done on large scale. 

Do you have any message to aspiring Cameroonian Entrepreneurs? 

Young Cameroonians have the impression that the best can only be achieved out of the country but it’s not true. Cameroon being a country in which a majority of people are found in the agricultural domain and endowed with very fertile soils has all the growth potential for any aspiring entrepreneur in the Agricultural Sector. I will like to inform the youths that Agriculture is the brain of this country. We can give counseling to any youth who wants to get into Agriculture or livestock breeding. Young Cameroonians should not only think of doing white collar jobs. When it is well done and well organised agriculture is the same like any white collar job.  

See more at www.emcameroon.com

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