Cocoa: The lack of beans disrupts 'industrialization' - Michael Ndoping

The 2015/2016 cocoa campaign in Cameroon kicked off on August 7. This gave an opportunity for the Director-general of the Office of cocoa and coffee Board (NCCB) to take stock of the past season and raise the ambitions of the cocoa sector in the Central African country.

In an interview with the newspaper, Jeune Afrique Economie, the Director of NCCB explained the performance of the last season.

According to the figures released, Cameroon crossed for the first time the bar of 230,000 tonnes of cocoa, with an increase of 9.8% last year. And during this period each planter touched between 72 and 73% of the FOB price, compared to 70-71% in the past that is 1 500 F CFA per kilogram.

"Prices have therefore remained very fixed because demand was greater than the supply. This has inevitably affected the Cameroonian producer price,” explained Michael Ndoping.

He also pointed out that in his exchanges with some large transformers; the latter relied on the inadequacy of the material first in Cameroon to establish processing units.

"With 200,000 tonnes on average, despite the popularity of Cameroonian beans, this is not an incentive," he noted adding that the obstacles in terms of availability of energy and quality infrastructure also hinder their enthusiasm. He recalled that Cameroon produces beans, not chocolate which are another highly specialized trade.