Crusade against bad practices in cocoa post-harvest launched

103 bags of cocoa, the equivalent of 6 tonnes of beans, were seized and then auctioned at a price of 1330 francs Cfa per KG October 3, 2014 at the esplanade of the Regional Delegation of the Ministry of Commerce for the Centre in Yaounde, the Cameroonian capital.

According to Nicanor Zanga Djinang,, the regional Commissioner of trade, this is the fate that will be reserved to all operators of the cocoa sector, who do not respect government directives in marketing of the beans during the 2014-2015 cocoa campaign, which started on August 1.

The cargo of beans thus sold at auction was seized in several lots in certain production areas of the central region, "reason of purchase of cocoa without professional card, purchase of wet cocoa, cocoa stored in unapproved stores, sale of cocoa in false weighing.

According to Nicanor Zanga Djinang,, these bad practices, to which must be added the sale outside the periodic markets and, above all, the «coxage» (purchase at a reduced price and outside regulated markets) which is regarded as a veritable gangrene in the sector cocoa; will be suppressed on Cameroonian territory throughout the current campaign, during unannounced raids by the brigades of control at the Ministry of trade.

This crusade against poor post-harvest practices, aims to protect the Cameroon brand on the world market, on the one hand, and to ensure compensation to producers, on the other hand.