Cocoa producers to improve quality

A two-day evaluation meeting of the 2013/2014 season ended in Kumba on Thursday, July 24.

Stakeholders in the Cocoa sector have taken measures to ensure that the quality of Cameroon cocoa is improved upon. Meeting in Kumba from the 23-24 July to evaluate the 2013/2014 cocoa season in the country, actors resolved to engage in proper sensitisation of farmers to ferment cocoa for at least six days while discouraging the use of tar to dry cocoa and poor storage facilities.

They concluded that only ovens and sunlight be used for drying cocoa.

The two-day meeting organised by the Cocoa and Coffee Inter-Professional Council (CCIC) in collaboration with the National Cocoa and Coffee Board aimed at assessing the current cocoa season as well as the implementation of the SOM programme (Support for Organisation Marketing) and compliance with the new statutory provisions of the CCIC.

The meeting that brought together 100 participants ranging from producers, buyers, delegates of Trade and Agriculture, administrative and municipal authorities also resolved to sensitize producers on the importance and need of the market days operation.

According to officials, this will ensure fair competition between operators and thus fair prices for producers.

As the Executive Secretary of CCIC puts it in his address, the marketing of cocoa is still confronted with difficulties with the existence of intermediaries whose activities are not recognized by the relevant authorities bringing dysfunctionality in the market.

This, he went on, explains why CCIC and NCCB are putting mechanisms in the marketing operations in accordance with regulations liberalizing the sector.

Officially opening the evaluation meeting, the 1st Assistant SDO for Meme, Mbua Epolle saluted the organisation of an evaluation of the cocoa season to discuss with stakeholders and find solutions to the problems which are affecting the sector.

The administrator urged participants to lay emphasis on transparency of the market and declaration of a static and fair remuneration for producers.

On his part, the President of the South West Regional College of Cocoa and Coffee Producers, Musima James Lobe, lauded government’s assistance through inputs in a bid to increase production in a region that has a 40% production of the national cocoa representing 96,000 metric tons out of the 240,000 metric tons produced in the country.

He prayed government to increase subsidy in the next six years in order to achieve the dream of moving from 240,000 metric tons to 600,000 metric tons annually.