Exploitation of raffia palm groves in West Cameroon

This study focuses on the socio-economic contribution of raffia palm grove exploitation in the Menoua Department (West Cameroon). This study aims to contribute to the development of the resource through the following objectives: socio-economic characterization of raffia palm tree farmers, analysis of raffia palm tree exploitation methods, estimation of financial margins of raffia products and identification of constraints related to raffia exploitation. The study concludes that the under-utilization of raffia palm groves is due to a lack of knowledge on the part of the farmers regarding harvesting techniques and a real problem in marketing raffia products. The restructuring of the sector and the analysis of raffia product markets are the main recommendations.