Agriculture, forestry, and fishing
For the most part, agriculture, which occupies more than one-third of the workforce, is subsistence in nature. Poor soil and the lack of fertilizers limit yields, and the country is not self-sufficient in food production. Most of the cultivated land is in family holdings that are too small for mechanized farming; international development strategies, which are shaped by reliance on large-scale production, have yet to devise effective ways to enhance small-scale production. In the savanna, land is cleared by burning, and women work the fields with hand tools. Cassava (manioc) is the basic food crop everywhere but in the south, where bananas and plantains are prevalent. Rice is grown in the Niari valley and in the north around Djambala. The diet is supplemented with yams, taros, sweet potatoes, corn (maize), peanuts (groundnuts), and fruit. Livestock consists of sheep, goats, pigs, and poultry. The government has sponsored the raising of cattle since the introduction in the 1960s of n’dama cattle, a breed resistant to the tsetse fly.
Sugarcane and tobacco are major cash crops. Palm kernels, cacao, and coffee are grown in more modest amounts. Other cash crops include rice, bananas, and cotton. Commercial agriculture and cattle ranching are concentrated in the Niari valley.
Forest products accounted for more than 60 percent of the total exports in the late 1960s. Two decades later, however, petroleum made up more than 90 percent of exports, and it has remained the preeminent export product since that time. The relatively accessible forestry reserves of the country’s south have been exploited since the 1940s. Although the extensive forest reserves of the north were previously out of reach because of the region’s isolation, this changed rapidly from the mid-1990s. Congo is among the world’s largest producers of limba and okoumé woods. Products include logs, sawn wood, and veneers. Forestry was largely under French control until the 1960s, when African participation expanded.
Commercial marine fishing is conducted off Pointe-Noire. The catch includes tuna, bass, sole, and sardines. Freshwater fishing on the rivers, lakes, and swamps is largely a subsistence activity. In the early 2000s, industrial and artisanal fishing activities yielded a roughly comparable catch.
Resources and power
Important resources include petroleum and natural gas, most of which are produced in offshore fields. Large reserves of potash (potassium chloride) are found at Tchitondi (Holle), 30 miles (48 km) northeast of Pointe-Noire. Iron ore is found in the south and in the western Sangha basin. Minor deposits of gold and diamonds are located in the Kouilou valley, and there are copper and lead deposits west of Brazzaville. There are also deposits of zinc, tin, uranium, bauxite, and titanium.
Forests of softwoods and hardwoods cover much of the country. The rivers and lakes are home to substantial fish resources. Hydroelectric power accounts for nearly all of the country’s domestic electricity production; additional energy needs are met through imports, chiefly from the Democratic Republic of the Congo.