Determinants and constraints of carrot (Daucus carota L.) production and marketing in Cameroon.

Abstract

The market gardening sector in Cameroonian agriculture is facing a challenge in producing vegetables to meet consumer needs. Among these vegetables, carrot is known to play an important role in the livelihood of millions of people around the world. It is therefore important to understand its technical itinerary in the different agricultural basins in order to provide further information on carrot production. This study aimed to identify the different production constraints faced by carrot growers by providing information on applied growing systems. Two surveys were conducted using a questionnaire simultaneously with carrot traders and producers. A total of 218 carrot traders and 62 producers were interviewed. Nine basins were identified as main carrot production zones in Cameroon. In the production basins, five main varieties namely New Kuroda, Pamela+, Madona, Amazonia and Vanessa F1 were identified. The agricultural yield of carrots is related to the growing area, fertilization method, size of the field and ploughing. Farmers use an integrated fertilization approach based on chemical fertilizer (N-P-K: 20-10-10) and chicken manure at various doses, from 250 to 500 Kg.ha-1 and 2.5 to 9 t.ha-1 respectively. Factors such as farmland area, number of cultivated plots, experience in cultivation, family size and amounts of organic and chemical fertilizers used have been found to have significant impact on carrot production. However, among the many technical problems faced by producers and which result in low carrots yields, is the lack of knowledge of soil properties. This in turn contributes to inappropriate fertilization and poor choice of the appropriate variety to be cultivated. Low germination, the lack of efficient irrigation systems and the high costs of agricultural inputs are the main constraints that affect carrot production. Although valued by market gardeners, the benefit in a production season is not always enough to encourage more farmers to grow carrots. Thus, there is a need to develop a follow-up policy for the quality and high yield production of the carrot sector.