Penja Pepper : Agriculture Minister Encourages More Production

The first-ever Penja International Pepper Festival, dubbed Festi-Poivre de Penja 2025, officially kicked off in Penja, Mungo Division in the Littoral Region, yesterday. The Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, Gabriel Mbairobe, called on the inhabitants along the geographic location of Mungo (Littoral) and Kupe Muanenguba (South West) divisions to take the opportunity offered by this labelled spice to boost production and make maximum benefit from the crop. He made the remark at the official launch ceremony yesterday. Holding under the theme "Let's discover the authenticity of Penja pepper," the event which brings together farmers, pro- cessors, distributors and other agric-food actors from Cameroon and abroad, seeks to further va- lorise and promote renowned labelled spice. The aim of the event is to help in further ge- nerating economic benefits of the labelled spice both within Cameroon and globally, encou- rage more production while maintaining an international re- putation. As a result, the festival opened with exhibitors show- casing the four varieties of the locally grown pepper, and their distinct flavours in various pro- cessed products. Festi-Poivre de Penja is organi- sed by the Representative Group of the Protected Geographical Indication Penja Pepper (GR- IGPP), and it aims to promote Penja pepper, Cameroon's first certified spice, generate econo- mic benefits, create jobs and increase production from 800 tons to 2,000 tons per year. Penja pepper is so called be- cause it originates from Penja, a town in the Mungo Division, where t...