Cameroon Rubber Producer Hevecam Seeks More Security to Protect 5,000-Hectare Plantation

Cameroon rubber producer Hevecam is asking the government to strengthen security around its main plantation in Niété, where repeated thefts and other incidents are threatening assets, workers and potentially the performance of a company already facing financial difficulties.

Hevecam has requested a public security police station in Niété, along with additional police and gendarmerie posts inside its plantations.

Deputy Managing Director Alain-Christian Bikoe made the request during a recent meeting with Territorial Administration Minister Paul Atanga Nji, who was on a working visit to the Ocean division in Cameroon’s South region, according to state-owned newspaper Cameroon Tribune.

The Niété site covers nearly 5,000 hectares and is Hevecam’s largest operation, ahead of its plantations in Bissiang and Mbembe. Its size and economic importance also make security around the site a significant concern for the company.

Theft Threatens Assets and Operations

Hevecam says both company property and employees’ belongings have been targeted in repeated thefts. Agricultural equipment and rubber output are among the items regularly stolen, while attempted sexual assaults have also been reported.

The company considers the existing security presence insufficient and wants the government to deploy additional security forces to improve response capacity across the plantation.

For Hevecam, the economic stakes extend beyond replacing stolen property. The company says persistent crime is disrupting employees’ sense of security and could eventually hurt operational performance.

Stronger security could therefore help protect both the plantation’s productive assets and the workforce needed to keep operations running.

Security Problems Add to Hevecam’s Financial Strain

The request comes while Hevecam is already dealing with financial difficulties. Agro-industrial group Halcyon Agri owns 90% of the company, while the Cameroonian government holds the remaining 10%. According to statements reported during the Niété meeting, Hevecam last recorded a profit in 2014.

For a company that has gone more than a decade without reporting a profit, repeated losses of equipment and rubber output represent an additional operational burden. Hevecam is therefore seeking greater state security around its largest plantation to protect production and prevent crime from adding further pressure to its business.

Ludovic Amara