Cameroon Development Corporation (CDC) Tiko Banana Group workers have rigged up a multi-purpose cooperative farm to use discarded bananas to raise fowls and pigs in a bid to augment their salaries.
“We reacted to complaints from workers at the end of every month for bonuses, so we thought why not start a cooperative where workers would contribute towards a farm and at the end of each year we see if the outcome could help financially,” said Mbeng William, one of the coordinators of the goodwill caretaker committee of the cooperative.
The cooperative has started off with 466 members who have bought a total share of more than 17 million francs cfa.
“For a start, we 1.5 hectares of corn in March this year. The corn did very well and we are expecting at least two tons of harvest. Then we started raising the first test batch of 1.500 day-old chicks in June. We are also restructuring a building at the former Camp 8 along the Tiko-Douala road; that is where the cooperative farm is located. There, we shall breed pigs and snails,” Mbeng told The Green Vision.
He said they received a lot of support from CDC management.
“We were given land, water, electricity and some old building which we are rehabilitating,” Mbeng said.
Mbeng said they will expand the farm to accommodate yams in January 2015.
“We will embark on intensive yam production using waste bunches (palm cones) as manure,” Mbeng said.
To maintain the health of the fowls and pigs envisaged for the farm, two veterinary assistants have been employed as well as guards to keep the area secure.
The coordinator said they really hope to make the banana workers feel better financially and even food wise at affordable prices irrespective of non-cooperative members.
He said anyone interested in purchasing the products of the multi-purpose cooperative farm can contact them through the following mobile numbers: 77 10 31 64/74 62 53 14/77 84 43 19
