A/HRC/22/50/Add.2 first step in the creation of production chains which enable small producers to store and then sell on their surplus on more favourable terms. B. Accessibility Physical and economic accessibility of food 35. Following the troubles of 2008 caused by the increase in the cost of living, particularly in the price of basic foods, Cameroon adopted a series of measures to facilitate access to affordable food. Public sector pay increases were introduced.15 Customs duties and other taxes on imports of rice, wheat, frozen fish and wheat flour were suspended,16 and price regulation agreements were concluded between the Government and members of the distribution chain, with the result that the price of these basic foods fell by between 6 and 15 per cent. 36. Other measures were taken above and beyond those introduced to deal with the emergency. Firstly, mobile sales of discounted goods and the periodic holding of markets were encouraged to allow wholesalers or producers to sell directly to consumers and to obviate the risk of speculation by retailers catering to communities that are relatively far from the main distribution circuits. Special shops, known as “magasins-témoins”, were set up to sell rice and other basic foods at below market prices. The Consumer Product Supply Regulatory Authority (MIRAP) was set up to monitor prices and build up buffer stocks to counter price volatility. 37. The Special Rapporteur welcomes the adoption of these measures, which improve access to affordable food. He attaches particular importance to initiatives to open up certain regions that currently lack road and rail infrastructure so as to improve both access to markets for producers and access to food for consumers. 38. However, additional progress could be made in a number of areas. Firstly, the poorest households would benefit if the “magasins-témoins” system were to be extended to include rural areas, and support would be provided to local producers if local products, such as cassava, millet and maize, were included among the foods offered at regulated prices by these outlets. 39. Secondly, in accordance with articles 9 and 11 of the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, extending social protection to the entire Cameroonian population should be made a Government priority. With the adoption of the Social Protection Floor Initiative in April 2009, the United Nations System Chief Executives Board for Coordination identified the need to tackle the food and economic crisis as a priority; this issue is also addressed in Recommendation 202 (2012) of the International Labour Conference. 40. Today, the vast majority of workers in Cameroon are employed in the informal economy and do not benefit from any form of social protection. Similarly, those who are not economically active or who are excluded from the labour market are not covered. The International Labour Organization has calculated that the establishment of a social protection floor in Cameroon (providing the entire population with access to an old-age pension, sickness and disability insurance, a family allowance to offset some of the costs of children’s education and health insurance, and providing unemployment insurance for the 15 16 10 Decrees No. 2008/009 and No. 2008/100 of 7 March 2008. Order No. 2008/002 of 7 March 2008. GE.12-18864