Residents living near the sugarcane plantations of the Somdiaa group, a subsidiary of the French giant Castel, fell victim to the destruction of their crops during the month of May 2023. In response to this incident, and despite a written communication, there was no substantial reaction observed from Sosucam.

In the early hours of Thursday, July 6, these residents arrived at the Sosucam headquarters in Yaoundé with samples of the destroyed crops to denounce this agricultural practice and demand reparations for the damages suffered.

Following an initial meeting for establishing contact among the different parties, a three-party gathering (with the Director-General and colleagues on one side, the victims of the spraying and members of the eco-syndicate on the other, with the Mayor of the Nkoteng municipality as the arbiter) was scheduled for July 12, 2023.

After the negotiation on July 12, 2023, responsibilities were acknowledged; Sosucam admitted to employing faulty equipment this year and agreed to compensate the residents in accordance with Decree No. 2003/418 of February 25, 2003, concerning compensation for crops in Cameroon.

Following a second on-site assessment of the damages, a transactional agreement protocol was signed between the Director-General and the five victim members of the eco-syndicate of residents on July 23, 2023.

Valued at 4,227,000 XAF, the amount obtained in evaluations by the eco-syndicate members represents only a visible portion of the iceberg. This action has awakened the awareness of dozens of other residents spread across multiple villages, also victims of this agricultural practice. Many have now entered the process of assessing damages.

Payments are scheduled for this week, and it is hoped that such damages will no longer occur in the neighboring villages of Sosucam.