In
Central Africa, wheat is gradually becoming a strategic crop in national food security policies. While countries across the region import nearly all of their wheat needs, Cameroon and Chad are each pursuing their own strategies to reduce that dependence.
On June 24, 2026, the Cameroonian government approved a three-year action plan to develop the country’s domestic wheat industry, with implementation scheduled to begin in 2027. The objective is to move from scattered pilot projects to a commercially viable production system.
The program, estimated to cost CFA 30.9 billion ($54 million), is built around three priorities: producing certified seeds, providing technical support to farmers and developing storage and processing infrastructure.
The plan aims to bring 4,500 hectares under wheat cultivation to produce about 9,000 tons of certified seed, with a target of reaching annual commercial wheat production of 180,000 tons in the Far North, North, Adamawa, West and Northwest regions.
The project builds on research conducted by the Institute of Agricultural Research for Development (IRAD), whose scientists have developed wheat varieties adapted to the country’s different agroecological zones.
Chad Launches National Wheat Research Center
Earlier, in March 2026, Chad reaffirmed its ambition to make wheat a strategic crop by officially launching the National Wheat Specialization Center (CNS-Blé) during the third Regional Wheat Conference, held in N’Djamena from March 9 to 11.
According to the authorities, the CNS-Blé is intended to become a regional center of excellence for scientific research, the development of improved wheat varieties and the training of researchers to support the development of the wheat sector across West and Central Africa.
According to local media, the event also secured commitments from financial and technical partners to fund a regional research project involving Chad, Nigeria and
Senegal.
The initiative comes as N’Djamena seeks to revive a crop that was once well established in the country. According to official data, Chad was, until relatively recently, one of Central Africa’s leading wheat producers thanks to the polders around Lake Chad, which supplied the Grand Moulin du Tchad flour mill, capable of producing more than 10,000 tons of wheat flour annually. The sector has since gone into decline. The latest official statistics show that national wheat production totaled only about 3,000 tons in 2025.
Challenges Ahead
The initiatives launched by Cameroon and Chad underscore the governments’ commitment to reducing dependence on wheat imports and strengthening food security.
Cameroon, Central Africa’s largest wheat importer, purchased 921,236 tons of wheat on the international market in 2025 for nearly $219 million. Although the country’s target of producing 180,000 tons annually remains modest by comparison, it could still make a meaningful contribution to reducing its import bill.
Competitiveness remains a major challenge. In several sub-Saharan African countries that have pursued large-scale wheat production for years, including Nigeria, which is widely regarded as a regional benchmark, the sector benefits from substantial government support. High production costs, driven by reliance on imported inputs and irrigation, combined with yields that remain well below global averages, continue to make locally produced wheat less competitive than imported supplies.
