YAOUNDE, Apr 15, 2011 - Farmgate cocoa prices in Cameroon, the fifth-largest grower, fell as much as 20 percent in some regions in April, with fewer buyers in the hinterlands as the main harvest season tails off, farmers said on Friday.
In the Centre province, the main cocoa-producing region, farmers said beans sold for as little as 1,150 CFA francs ($2.53) per kilogram in April, compared with 1,450 CFA francs the previous month around Bafia.
In Kumba in the South-West province, beans sold for 1,300 CFA francs in April, compared with 1,430 CFA francs in March.
"Buyers are no longer streaming in from Douala, (the country's economic capital), because they are not sure of getting any beans," said Joseph Nde, manager at Cameroon Marketing Commodities (CAMACO) in the South-West region.
"We had to comb all main growing areas to be able to come up with about five tonnes last week," he said.
Cameroon's cocoa season runs from Aug. 1 to July 31, with the main harvest period from October to January/February.
The 2010/2011 main harvest, however, started earlier - around mid-September - and ended in January in the Centre region due to little rainfall and plenty of sunshine.
Cameroon exported about 197,000 tonnes of cocoa beans in the 2009/10 season. Data so far shows the country is on track to export well over 200,000 tonnes this year due to increases in production in the Centre and East regions.
Source : Reuters
