Biostimulants in Cameroon:

what you need to know before you export

Cameroon has no dedicated biostimulant category like the EU's, but that does not mean an open market. Biostimulants are defined in the national fertiliser rules and treated as fertilisers, which means one thing: no marketing authorisation, no sales.

The essentials :

- Authorisation required: an AMM (Autorisation de Mise sur le Marché) from the Ministry of Agriculture (MINADER) must be in place before import, production or distribution. It is valid for 5 years and renewable, and a provisional 2-year AMM also exists.

- Who decides: MINADER's DRCQ prepares the file, and an inter-ministerial Fertiliser Evaluation Committee decides. The committee meets only twice a year.

- What is assessed: laboratory analysis, agronomic efficacy tests, and toxicological and environmental data. Labels must be in French and English.

- Local presence: import is reserved to the AMM holder or its local representative, who must be a registered Cameroonian wholesale distributor.

- Official costs: published fees include 500,000 FCFA (about €760) for the dossier study and roughly 2.35 to 3.5 million FCFA (about €3,600 to €5,300) per efficacy test, depending on crop and zone. Lab analyses and other costs come on top.

Planning to place a biostimulant on the Cameroonian market? We know the framework and can help you prepare the dossier and choose the right route. Get in touch with us and talk it through.

Update based on regulatory texts published up to 2021 and fees set in 2017. Requirements may have changed.

We wish you a great day,

The sciBASICS Team.