YAOUNDE, Aug. 14 (Xinhua) -- Cameroon will inject "fresh impetus" into banana and plantain production as part of efforts to become the world's leading producer of the crops by 2030, according to Gabriel Mbairobe, the country's minister of agriculture and rural development.

Banana and plantain output in the Central African country is estimated at more than 6 million tonnes per year, but the country wants to increase production to 7.5 million tonnes in 2025 and 10 million tonnes in 2030, Mbairobe said Tuesday while signing a partnership agreement with state media CRTV.

"Our country is the first banana and plantain producer in Africa ... but there are still many challenges. (That is why) we want to introduce varieties that will resist climate change and parasites," Mbairobe said, emphasizing that the government will "spare no effort to give fresh impetus" to the sector.

Cameroon will host the third edition of the International Banana-Plantain Festival in December as part of the country's drive to modernize the economic and productive system in a bid to boost production of the crops, said Samuel Tony Obam Bikoue, head of the National Association of Actors of the Banana-Plantain Sector in Cameroon.

Bananas and plantains, considered some of the staple foods and a reliable source of starch for many, play a crucial role in Cameroon's food security. They can be boiled, fried, and roasted. Enditem

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