12
It is worthy to note that at the end of the 2001/2002 season, tobacco production
rose from 239 tons in 2001 to 172 tons a year later (of which 130 was full leaf tobacco
and 42 was shredded tobacco), namely a drop of 28%. This drop resulted from the
volontaristic policy of the Central African tobacco exploitation Company (CETAC) which
gives priority to quality rather than quantity.
- Food Crop Production
The principal contributor to the GDP of Central Africa (32.2% in 2002) and highly
diversified, the food production sector comes as the principal hub of growth and
competitiveness of the Central African economy, so long as production, processing and
export mechanisms are put in place.
The Food Crops which are cultivated consist of cassava, millet, sorghum, maize,
potatoes, tarots, bananas, yams, groundnuts, rice, marrows, vegetables, sesame…
- Animal Husbandry
In Central Africa, animal husbandry contributes significantly to GDP (10.4%) in
2002.
Livestock statistics estimated by the Department of Livestock Services totaled
11,736,000 heads of cattle in 2002, compared to 11,293,000 heads in 2001, namely an
increase of 4%.
In 2005, it was estimated that there were 3,500,000 cattle for about 20,000
livestock breeders.
Inspite of the efforts deployed by the Government to promote this sector, the
difficulties persisted. These are:
-
Lack of security in the livestock breeding zones;
A reduced stock of animals in the country resulting in overbidding;
Lack of appropriate technical support;
A total lack of means for traveling around to monitor activities in the
field;
The clandestine fraud and slaughtering which is a problem to be dealt
with.
The primary sector owes its dynamism to the sub sectors (cash cropping, animal
husbandry and forest nurseries). This performance is due to the motivating measures:
increased producer prices and higher prices for various products on the international
markets, but this appears to have been frustrated by the social problems experienced in
the country.
6.2
The Secondary Sector
The main activities which make up the industrial fabric in the CAR are: brewery,
oil production, soap making, sugar industry, coffee roasting, cotton ginning, sawmill, gas
production (oxygen, acetylene) and painting.