Cameroon Volume of Cocoa Beans Bought by Crushers in First Six Months of Season Rises

   By Emmanuel Tumanjong 
   Special to DOW JONES NEWSWIRES 
 

YAOUNDE, Cameroon--The volume of cocoa beans bought by crushers in Cameroon in the first six months of the current season rose slightly from a year earlier, industry data published Wednesday showed.

The National Cocoa and Coffee Board, in the port city of Douala, said the volume of cocoa beans bought for crushing between August and January rose 4.5% to 26,537 metric tons from 25,390 tons. The Cameroon cocoa season officially runs from August to July.

The Cameroon unit of Barry Callebaut AG (BARN.EB), and Chococam, which is majority owned by Tiger Brands Ltd (TBLMY, TBS.JO) of South Africa, are the local processors. The former is represented locally by Societe Industrielle Camerounaise, or Sic Cacao SA, in which the Cameroon government owns a 30% stake.

In the 2011-2012 cocoa season, Sic Cacao and Chococam processed 29,924 tons of cocoa.

The two firms bought 28,413 tons of cocoa beans for processing in the 2010-11 season, according to government data.

Chocolate, cocoa powder, cocoa cake and liquor produced by Sic Cacao is marketed mainly in Cameroon and its five neighboring countries in the Economic Community of Central African States.

Cameroon's cocoa output in the last 2011-2012 season was 210,034 tons, falling from a record 240,000 tons in the 2010-11 season, according to industry and government figures.

Write to Emmanuel Tumanjong at [e-mail]

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