Cameroon exported 27,720 tonnes of beans in January, down from 34,720 tonnes a year ago but up from 25,848 tonnes in December, taking this season's exports to 133,587 tonnes, the National Cocoa and Coffee Board (NCCB) said on Friday.
| Cocoa beans |
The board blamed the fall on severe weather conditions.
There were 21 exporters in January, with Telcar Cocoa Ltd leading with 6,320 tonnes, representing a fall for the firm from 8,478 tonnes in December.
The company was followed by Ets Ndongo Essomba with 5,165 tonnes; Produits Cam with 3,411 tonnes; and Olam Cam with 3,168 tonnes.
Cameroon's cocoa season runs from Aug. 1 to July 31 with the main crop harvest from October to January/February and the light crop harvest from April/May to July.
The crop grows mainly in four regions of the central African country. The centre and southwest each account for 40 percent of output, the south grows 15 percent and the east 5 percent.
Production hit a record of 240,000 tonnes in the 2010/11 season but dropped to 220,000 tonnes in the 2011/12 season due to a prolonged dry season and attacks by pests and diseases.
Output rose to 228,948 tonnes in 2012/13 and the NCCB forecasts it will be around 235,000 tonnes in 2013/14.
The Ministry of Trade is putting pressure on growers, exporters and companies to process the raw crop into finished and semi-finished products to create jobs and earn more foreign exchange, given growing demand from China, India and other Asian countries, as well as Russia
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