Bananas and Food Security - Bioversity International

Afrique / Africa : S. Dury et al.
La consommation et les critères
de qualité du plantain à Douala
et Yaoundé
S. Dury 1 , N. Bricas 2 , J. Tchango Tchango 3 et A Bikoï 3
Abstract – Plantain consumption and quality criteria in Douala and Yaoundé
This study is an analysis of plantain consumption and quality criteria based on in-depth
discussions and surveys of numerous women in Douala and Yaoundé (Cameroon). It is
shown that plantain is the favourite starch base for all urban households, with no
distinction of age, standard of living or geographic origin. Even the populations of nonproducer
regions have a strong preference for the fruit. In spite of this, consumption
seems limited because of the excessively high price of produce, whose supplies are
insufficient in towns. It is essential to take the quality criteria of end-users into account
with a view to improving varieties and/or plantain cultivation and marketing methods.
Even if produce quality does not slow consumption today, this could happen with the
development of new technology essential for increasing production. Some general
criteria of ‘good’ quality are identified here: large fingers, strong colour, suitability for
cooking. In addition, several quality criteria depend on the type of culinary use. The
characters desired (ripeness, size and cost) and those not wanted are described for the
main culinary preparations. From the methodological point of view, this work shows the
advantage of taking into account the classification of produce according to the quality
characteristics as seen by consumers.
Résumé– A partir d’entretiens approfondis et d’enquêtes auprès de nombreuses femmes
de Douala et Yaoundé (Cameroun), cette étude analyse la consommation et les critères de
qualité du plantain. Elle montre que ce produit est la base amylacée favorite de tous les
ménages urbains, sans distinction d’âge, de niveau de vie ou d’origine géographique.
Même les populations originaires de régions non productrices de bananes ont une forte
préférence pour ce produit. Malgré cela, la consommation apparaît limitée en raison du
prix excessif de cette denrée, dont l’offre est insuffisante au niveau des villes. Dans la
perspective d’amélioration des variétés et/ou des méthodes de culture et de
1 CIRAD-AMIS Yaoundé, Cameroun
2 CIRAD-AMIS, Montpellier, France
3 CRBP, Jombé, Cameroun.
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