Harvesting and marketing of Gnetum species (Engl) in Cameroon and Nigeria

Abstract

The harvesting and marketing of Gnetum africanum and Gnetum bucholzianum (Engl), a major Non-Timber Forest Product (NTFP) in West and Central Africa, was carried out between 2002 - 2008, with the objective of examining the production and marketing ofGnetum species and their economic contributions to the economies of Cameroon and Nigeria and that of West and Central Africa at large. Besides timber, the forest contains many useful goods and services of subsistence and commercial value called NTFPs that sustain rural people and rural economies. Falconer (1990, 1992) defines NTFPs as all forest goods and services, excluding commercial timber. In this context, Gnetum as an NTFP consists of the leaves of an ever green vine from the family Gnetaceae that are harvested from the forest ecosystem, processed, and marketed, as well as eaten as a vegetable in Central and West Africa, Europe and the U.S.A. as a traditional African dish. The line transects questionnaires and a selection of some participatory rural appraisal (PRA) tools were used to source information from harvesters and traders on the occurrence, marketing and market channels for Gnetum species in the study area. Two species of Gnetum (G. africanum, G. buchholzianum) were identified to be sourced and processed for the market. Harvesting and processing techniques for the identified species were characterized by the use of crude tools associated with resource degradation. Market prices were found to be determined by a few buyers who acted as cartel. Analysis of variance (ANOVA) and t-test analysis showed significant differences in product quantities within and between zones as well as the dry and wet seasons at p < 0.05 level. Annual quantities of Gnetum were observed to be on the decrease from 2002 – 2008. A total of 607862.5 metric tons of Gnetum was produced and traded between 2002 and 2008, valued at about 631,167,345 F (CFA) equivalent to $1, 262, 334.69 USD internally generated revenue (IGR) to the economies of Cameroon and Nigeria. Key words: Harvesting, marketing, Gnetum, NTFPs, cartel, production.