COPAL COCOA Info



0COPAL COCOA Info [pic]

A Weekly Newsletter of Cocoa Producers' Alliance

| Health and Nutrition |Labour Issues |

| | |

| | |

|Production and Quality |Environmental Issue |

|DA allots P192M to boost coffee, cocoa production |Black pod threatens Cameroon cocoa -minister |

|CIB gets $15 million to resuscitate sector after Hurricane | |

| |Research & Development |

|The Market |Cocoa Experts and researchers meet in Yaounde |

|NY cocoa targets $2,459-$2,487 zone | |

|Ghana Cocoa premium said to drop as Ivorian beans start to flow |Promotion & Consumption |

| | |

|Processing and Manufacturing | |

| |Others |

| | |

|Business & Economy | |

|Expansion of Takoradi port to start in 2012 | |

In the News (from Newspapers worldwide)

ICCO Daily Cocoa Prices

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| |ICCO Daily Price |ICCO Daily Price |London futures |New York futures |

| |(SDR/tonne) |($US/tonne) |(£/tonne) |($US/tonne) |

| | | | | |

|29th October |1570.71 |2411.99 |1535.67 |2365.00 |

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|30th October |1586.09 |2441.03 |1544.00 |2401.00 |

| | | | | |

|31st October |1587.53 |2445.71 |1549.33 |2394.67 |

| | | | | |

|1st November |1606.62 |2472.42 |1561.67 |2426.33 |

| | | | | |

|2nd November |1625.45 |2494.07 |1581.67 |2454.00 |

| | | | | |

|Average |1595.00 |2453.00 |1554.00 |2408.00 |

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International Financial Futures and Options Exchange (LIFFE)

London Futures Market – Summary of Trading Activities

(£ per tone)

|Monday |29th October |2012 |  |  |  |  |

|Month |Opening Trans |Settle |Change |High |Low |Volume |

|Dec  2012 |1551 |1534 |-10 |1558 |1524S |3,289 |

|Mar  2013 |1550 |1533 |-11 |1558S |1525S |3,266 |

|May  2013 |1557 |1540 |-11 |1558S |1532S |1,251 |

|Jul  2013 |1563 |1549 |-10 |1563S |1540S |833 |

|Sep  2013 |1575 |1554 |-11 |1575 |1547S |336 |

|Dec  2013 |1556 |1543 |-14 |1556 |1556 |6 |

|Mar  2014 |1554 |1539 |-15 |1564 |1537S |150 |

|May  2014 |  |1539 |-17 |  |  |0 |

|Jul  2014 |  |1544 |-17 |  |  |0 |

|Sep  2014 |  |1549 |-17 |  |  |0 |

|Average/Totals |  |1542 |  |  |  |9,131 |

|Tuesday |30th October |2012 |  |  |  |  |

|Month |Opening Trans |Settle |Change |High |Low |Volume |

|Dec  2012 |1538 |1544 |10 |1588S |1532 |6,862 |

|Mar  2013 |1535 |1541 |8 |1581S |1529S |5,141 |

|May  2013 |1545 |1547 |7 |1586S |1535S |2,794 |

|Jul  2013 |1553 |1551 |2 |1593S |1539S |2,041 |

|Sep  2013 |1558 |1556 |2 |1597S |1542S |2,360 |

|Dec  2013 |1554 |1553 |10 |1592S |1540 |666 |

|Mar  2014 |1553 |1546 |7 |1585S |1532S |659 |

|May  2014 |1551 |1548 |9 |1551S |1551S |5 |

|Jul  2014 |  |1553 |9 |  |  |0 |

|Sep  2014 |  |1558 |9 |  |  |0 |

|Average/Totals |  |1550 |  |  |  |20,528 |

|Wednesday |31st October |2012 |  |  |  |  |

|Month |Opening Trans |Settle |Change |High |Low |Volume |

|Dec  2012 |1536 |1548 |4 |1558 |1534 |3,171 |

|Mar  2013 |1533 |1548 |7 |1554S |1529 |5,163 |

|May  2013 |1540 |1552 |5 |1559S |1536S |1,213 |

|Jul  2013 |1545 |1555 |4 |1561S |1542S |1,128 |

|Sep  2013 |1548 |1559 |3 |1565S |1546S |506 |

|Dec  2013 |1545 |1556 |3 |1563S |1543S |662 |

|Mar  2014 |1545 |1549 |3 |1555S |1535 |570 |

|May  2014 |  |1544 |-4 |  |  |0 |

|Jul  2014 |  |1545 |-8 |  |  |0 |

|Sep  2014 |  |1550 |-8 |  |  |0 |

|Average/Totals |  |1551 |  |  |  |12,413 |

|Thursday |1st November |2012 |  |  |  |  |

|Month |Opening Trans |Settle |Change |High |Low |Volume |

|Dec  2012 |1546 |1562 |14 |1564S |1536 |3,017 |

|Mar  2013 |1543 |1560 |12 |1561S |1537S |4,090 |

|May  2013 |1548 |1563 |11 |1565S |1542 |892 |

|Jul  2013 |1550 |1566 |11 |1569S |1546S |1,425 |

|Sep  2013 |1554 |1572 |13 |1575S |1550S |1,096 |

|Dec  2013 |1558 |1567 |11 |1568 |1553S |565 |

|Mar  2014 |1552 |1562 |13 |1565S |1552S |98 |

|May  2014 |1545 |1558 |14 |1545 |1545 |2 |

|Jul  2014 |  |1559 |14 |  |  |0 |

|Sep  2014 |  |1564 |14 |  |  |0 |

|Average/Totals |  |1563 |  |  |  |11,185 |

|Month |Opening Trans |Settle |Change |High |Low |Volume |

|Dec  2012 |1559 |1582 |20 |1585 |1558 |2,594 |

|Mar  2013 |1557 |1578 |18 |1581S |1555 |4,809 |

|May  2013 |1559 |1585 |22 |1587S |1559S |1,808 |

|Jul  2013 |1568 |1592 |26 |1594 |1568S |3,885 |

|Sep  2013 |1581 |1598 |26 |1601S |1575 |6,559 |

|Dec  2013 |1578 |1586 |19 |1589 |1571S |173 |

|Mar  2014 |1566 |1578 |16 |1578 |1559S |3,554 |

|May  2014 |1565 |1578 |20 |1582S |1565S |503 |

|Jul  2014 |1586 |1580 |21 |1586 |1581S |37 |

|Sep  2014 |  |1585 |21 |  |  |0 |

|Average/Totals |  |1584 |  |  |  |

|  |  |  |  |  |4349 |

New York Board of Trade

(New York Futures Market – Summary of Trading Activities)

(US$ per tone)

|Monday |29th October |2012 |  |  |  |  |

|Month |Open |Price |Change |High |Low |Volume |

|Dec  2012 |2398 |2350 |-33 |2401 |2343 |8,610 |

|Mar  2013 |2393 |2363 |-31 |2410 |2355 |5,013 |

|May  2013 |2395 |2376 |-29 |2421 |2369 |1,029 |

|Jul  2013 |2408 |2388 |-30 |2424 |2382 |593 |

|Sep  2013 |2415 |2396 |-30 |2430 |2389 |237 |

|Dec  2013 |2423 |2404 |-28 |2438 |2402 |93 |

|Mar  2014 |2426 |2407 |-30 |2426 |2400 |16 |

|May  2014 |0 |2414 |-30 |0 |0 |0 |

|Jul  2014 |0 |2422 |-30 |0 |0 |1 |

|Sep  2014 |2462 |2431 |-32 |2462 |2462 |2 |

|Average/Totals |  |2395 |  |  |  |15594 |

|Tuesday |30th October |2012 |  |  |  |  |

|Month |Open |Price |Change |High |Low |Volume |

|Dec  2012 |2355 |2390 |40 |2457 |2353 |17,515 |

|Mar  2013 |2368 |2403 |40 |2469 |2367 |11,452 |

|May  2013 |2380 |2413 |37 |2457 |2380 |3,140 |

|Jul  2013 |2401 |2420 |32 |2486 |2393 |1,805 |

|Sep  2013 |2408 |2424 |28 |2466 |2405 |986 |

|Dec  2013 |2415 |2431 |27 |2500 |2413 |306 |

|Mar  2014 |2450 |2436 |29 |2450 |2425 |168 |

|May  2014 |0 |2443 |29 |0 |0 |0 |

|Jul  2014 |0 |2451 |29 |0 |0 |0 |

|Sep  2014 |0 |2460 |29 |0 |0 |0 |

|Average/Totals |  |2427 |  |  |  |35372 |

|Wednesday |31st October |2012 |  |  |  |  |

|Month |Open |Price |Change |High |Low |Volume |

|Dec  2012 |2383 |2388 |-2 |2417 |2364 |15,586 |

|Mar  2013 |2403 |2401 |-2 |2430 |2378 |10,973 |

|May  2013 |2417 |2412 |-1 |2436 |2390 |2,001 |

|Jul  2013 |2406 |2420 |0 |2444 |2398 |523 |

|Sep  2013 |2447 |2426 |2 |2447 |2406 |121 |

|Dec  2013 |2442 |2436 |5 |2453 |2413 |138 |

|Mar  2014 |2446 |2442 |6 |2457 |2433 |88 |

|May  2014 |0 |2448 |5 |0 |0 |0 |

|Jul  2014 |0 |2456 |5 |0 |0 |0 |

|Sep  2014 |0 |2464 |4 |0 |0 |0 |

|Average/Totals |  |2429 |  |  |  |29430 |

|Thursday |1st November |2012 |  |  |  |  |

|Month |Open |Price |Change |High |Low |Volume |

|Dec  2012 |2388 |2420 |32 |2426 |2377 |13,234 |

|Mar  2013 |2401 |2433 |32 |2437 |2391 |8,919 |

|May  2013 |2404 |2445 |33 |2449 |2400 |1,227 |

|Jul  2013 |2443 |2455 |35 |2458 |2422 |219 |

|Sep  2013 |2430 |2460 |34 |2462 |2427 |86 |

|Dec  2013 |2438 |2466 |30 |2468 |2435 |61 |

|Mar  2014 |2442 |2471 |29 |2478 |2439 |84 |

|May  2014 |2462 |2480 |32 |2479 |2443 |116 |

|Jul  2014 |0 |2488 |32 |0 |0 |0 |

|Sep  2014 |0 |2496 |32 |0 |0 |0 |

|Average/Totals |  |2461 |  |  |  |23946 |

|Friday |2nd November |2012 |  |  |  |  |

|Month |Open |Price |Change |High |Low |Volume |

|Dec  2012 |2420 |2447 |27 |2450 |2408 |18,058 |

|Mar  2013 |2423 |2458 |25 |2460 |2419 |14,042 |

|May  2013 |2442 |2468 |23 |2469 |2431 |2,161 |

|Jul  2013 |2451 |2477 |22 |2475 |2439 |1,081 |

|Sep  2013 |2457 |2483 |23 |2483 |2455 |1,110 |

|Dec  2013 |2473 |2490 |24 |2490 |2460 |593 |

|Mar  2014 |2477 |2491 |20 |2491 |2463 |1,849 |

|May  2014 |2476 |2499 |19 |2491 |2471 |466 |

|Jul  2014 |2495 |2507 |19 |2496 |2493 |34 |

|Sep  2014 |0 |2515 |19 |0 |0 |0 |

|Average/Totals |  |2484 |  |  |  |39394 |

|Average for the week |2484 |  |  |  |7163 |

|  |  |  |  |  |7163 |

News

DA allots P192M to boost coffee, cocoa production

Philippine Information Agency

30th of October 2012

MANILA, Oct 30 -- The Department of Agriculture (DA) is supporting the “mocha” trend with a P192 million budget for coffee and the implementation of Cacao Agribusiness Zones Development (CAZD) to boost coffee and cocoa production.

DA is partnering with Nestle Philippines in putting up a mother plant garden in Cagayan Valley as part of a coffee roadmap, a statement from the DA said. The nursery will produce 200,000 Robusta coffee seedlings per year through the Cagayan Valley Upland Research Outreach Station in Aglipay, Quirino.

For cocoa, the CAZD is establishing five agribusiness zones in Davao City, Compostela Valley, Zamboanga del Norte, Palawan and Camarines Sur.

The Philippines apparently has to embrace the mocha trend as the craze on coffee as a social drink has turned to more mixtures of coffee with different flavors. This is particularly true with coffee mixed with chocolate as a cocoa product or known as mocha. “The vision of Sec. (Proceso) Alcala is for us to come up with the best possible strategies to make the country’s coffee and cacao industries competitive so that these commodities can contribute to food security,” said Dr. Teodoro S. Solsoloy, DA-Bureau of Agricultural Research (BAR) assistant director.

BAR has just supported a research and development (R&D) forum for coffee and cacao of the Options Inc. to encourage investments in the crops which the country heavily imports.

The country imports some 100,000 metric tons (MT) of coffee beans worth P10 billion annually mainly from Vietnam. It imports around 20,000 MT of cocoa beans from big African cocoa producers (Nigeria, Ivory Coast) costing a yearly average of $42 million. This import value excludes chocolate products and consumables, said Options Inc. Managing Director Josephine V. Ramos.

The brisk coffee and cocoa consumption growth is prompting the industry to encourage local production.

The Philippines is among the few countries in the world that can grow coffee and cacao with its geographical position around the equator.

Coffee is a priority R&D crop under BAR’s 2011-2016 R&D, and Extension (RDE) Program, BAR Director Nicomedes P. Eleazar said.

The program is funding improvement of the facilities of the National Coffee RDE based in the Cavite State University in Indang, Cavite.

CADZ is a partnership of DA with the Cocoa Foundation of the Philippines (CocoaPhil). The CADZ will house central fermentation and drying facilities, quality assurance equipment, central nursery and bud wood garden, warehouse and office space. “These zones will be the nuclear center of agribusiness activities and will deliver assistance to cacao farmers,” said Solsoloy.

BAR also has collaboration with CocoaPhil in “Sustainable Cacao Program (SCP),” Eleazar said. It is establishing a bio-intensive Integrated Pest Management (IPM) program. SCP encourages conservation and use of plant genetic resources particularly the use of good, higher-yielding cacao varieties.

SCP is establishing scion groves or budwood gardens of registered cacao varieties.

CocoaPhil earlier had an applied research program on cocoa that trained 180 technicians. The technicians are in turn training some 18,000 cacao farmers in the country, Ramos said.

Thirty technology demonstration farms have been put up to show farmers best practices in the care of cacao farms.

Both coffee and cacao trees need tender loving care (TLC) to sustain high production.

R&D needs to intervene in the coffee sector if yield has to increase. Filipino farmers only get a yield of 0.5 to one metric tons (MT) per hectare for coffee as they do not practice TLC.

Farmers in Vietnam, world’s largest coffee producer with a total of 1.4 million MT yearly, practice intensive fertilization that can reach at least 30 kilos per hectare. They prune their trees and inspect diseases of individual coffee trees daily.

On the other hand, Philippines only produces 25,000 MT of coffee yearly. The country’s cocoa bean yield is also low at around the same rate as that of coffee, less than one MT per hectare.

Yield in TLC farms can reach around two to three MT per hectare.

There are extensive partnerships now in cocoa that will hopefully enable Philippines to raise cocoa bean production by as much as 100,000 MT.

The Mars Cocoa Development Center (MCDC) aims to adopt 2.4 million hectares of coconut land in the country to turn them into coconut-cacao plantation.

“Our vision is to produce 100,000 tons (cocoa bean) by 2020. This is Mars’ challenge to us from our current production of 5,000 to 8,000 tons,” said Peter V. Cruz, chief of MCDC, an organization spearheaded by global American chocolate producer Mars.

“We have 2.4 million hectares of coconut land that have no intercrop, excluding uplands. You only need 100,000 at (a yield of) 1,000 kilos per hectare to achieve that goal.”

A coconut-cacao intercropping requires P50,000 per hectare. Land Bank of the Philippines, Development Bank of the Philippines, and the Peace and Equity Foundation are extending loan for the program.

Another international organization, the Kennermer Foods International (KFI), partners with MCDC in the development of the cocoa value chain in the Philippines. KFI exports cocoa beans to Mars, and other chocolate producers in Netherlands and Singapore, among others.

“We’re the biggest buyer in Davao for cacao,” said KFI President Simon Bakker.

“We’re in the Philippines because the climate is good, and there’s untapped potential. Cacao is a TLC crop, not like sugarcane which you just leave behind. The key is the quality of the beans. The beans need to be fermented and dried well,” said Bakker.

KFI has a contract growing scheme with farmers’ cooperatives on about 1,500 hectares mainly in Davao del Sur, Davao del Norte, and Compostela Valley.

It is working on contract growing on an additional 1,500 hectares also in Mindanao. “Cacao is a smallholder crop and needs just less than a hectare. It doesn’t have to be a huge plantation. It’s a very good crop for contract growing. One guy, one family can grow it well,” said Bakker.

In coffee, Philippine Coffee Board Chairman Nicholas Matti said it is eyeing to seek multi-sectoral support to establish an agriculture model in the country similar to that of Vietnam.

Using a 500,000-hectare upland over Dak Lak province, Vietnam has established its reputation in coffee bean production. It established a 300-hectare coffee research center at Dak Lak’s capital, Dak Lak’s capital, Buon Ma Thuot.

In this research center, Vietnamese government showed farmers through technology demonstration the excellent way of growing coffee, making them achieve an average yield of 2.5 MT per hectare. Excellent farmers even get a yield of four to five MT per hectare.

Vietnam has been convincing farmers to replace old coffee trees with a superior coffee variety called TR5.

CIB gets $15 million to resuscitate sector after Hurricane

Government of Jamaica, Jamaica Information Service

By Douglas McIntosh

02 November 2012

Agriculture and Fisheries Minister, Hon. Roger Clarke, says the Cocoa Industry Board (CIB) has been instructed to divert a $15 million advance, previously received from the Ministry, for use in resuscitating the local cocoa industry, which was impacted by Hurricane Sandy.

Speaking during the second Social Development Commission (SDC) Parish/Town Hall Meeting in May Pen, Clarendon, on October 31, Mr. Clarke said the CIB was advanced the funds to purchase cocoa “until they were able to receive their resources from the sales” of the crop.

He explained that this was part of an initial major thrust to resuscitate the industry through support provided by the European Union (EU) and the United States Agency for International Development (USAID).

“We had been making progress because, last year, we did about 200 tonnes (in production) and this year, 500 tonnes. We were on a trajectory to do about 780 to 800 tonnes next year (2013). What has happened (is that) the hurricane has put paid to that,” the Minister said.

“Not only have some of the trees been damaged, but trees within the cocoa farms have been blown down, and those trees have rested on some of the (other) cocoa trees, damaging them,” the Minister added, while pointing out that the CIB was in the process repaying the funds when the hurricane struck on October 24.

The Minister pointed out that, “right now, we have to fertilize, so that we can get a spring flowering to see if we can salvage as much as we can out of (the) next crop."

Wednesday’s meeting was one in a series of islandwide fora, being jointly staged by the Ministry of Local Government and Community Development, and its agency, the SDC, under the theme: ‘Government and Governance’.

The meetings are aimed at providing Prime Minister, the Most Hon. Portia Simpson Miller, and other members of the Cabinet and Government, with the opportunity to engage the public in discussions on a range of topical issues.

The fora are also designed to facilitate relevant government agencies with opportunities to provide updates on programmes and initiatives, specific to the local and parish levels.

NY cocoa targets $2,459-$2,487 zone

Business Recorder (blog)

By Shoaib-ur-Rehman Siddiqui

31 October 2012

SINGAPORE: New York Dec. cocoa is expected to rebound into a range of $2,459-$2,487 per tonne, as a consolidation starting from the Oct. 12 low of $2,338 has extended.

The extension was indicated by cocoa's refusal to drop below a previous low at $2,338, which is presumed as the trough of the wave A.

The violent surge on Tuesday also characterizes a wave c which is the third wave of an upward wave B.

A Fibonacci projection on the wave c points to a target zone between the 61.8 percent and the 76.4 percent levels.

The ceiling for this wave c will be at $2,531, its 100 percent projection level.

No information in this analysis should be considered as being business, financial or legal advice. Each reader should consult his or her own professional or other advisers for business, financial or legal advice regarding the products mentioned in the analyses.

Ghana Cocoa premium said to drop as Ivorian beans start to flow

Bloomberg

By Isis Almeida

Oct 29, 2012

Buyers of cocoa from Ghana, the world’s second-biggest producer, are paying a smaller premium for their beans as concerns an industry reform in top grower Ivory Coast would disrupt shipments eased, three traders said.

Ghanaian beans in the European market cost 85 pounds ($136) to 90 pounds a metric ton more than futures on NYSE Liffe in London, said the traders, who are familiar with the sales and declined to be identified because they’re not authorized to speak to the media. That compares with 90 pounds to 100 pounds a ton two months ago. Ivory Coast is implementing changes to its cocoa sector that include selling 70 percent to 80 percent of the crop before the season starts.

Cocoa climbed 11 percent so far this year on speculation the reform would result in delays to shipments. Bean arrivals at ports in Ivory Coast for export totaled 65,000 tons from the start of the season through Oct. 21, according to data from KnowledgeCharts, a unit of researcher Commodities Risk Analysis LC in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania. That compares with 50,300 tons in the same period a year earlier. Prices fell 3.9 percent last week as concerns about supply disruptions eased.

“Prices have strong momentum so may fall further as investors remove long positions and because rains returned to Ivory Coast and initial arrivals have been good,” Keith Flury, a senior commodities analyst at Rabobank International in London, said by e-mail today. “In the medium term, prices should bounce back given we forecast a shortage for 2012-13.”

Ivorian cocoa was trading in the European market at 40 pounds to 55 pounds a ton above the NYSE Liffe price, the traders said. That compares to 55 pounds to 70 pounds a ton two months ago, three traders said then.

Cocoa for March delivery was down 0.8 percent to 1,532 pounds a ton in London.

Expansion of Takoradi port to start in 2012

Ghana Broadcasting Corporation

Oct 31, 2012

The Ghana Ports and Harbours Authority (GPHA), would start expansion works at the Takoradi Port in the Western Region as part of measures to decongest the ports in the country.

The Takoradi Port, which was built in 1928 by Sir Gordon Guggisberg, during the colonial era, has seen no major expansion since its construction.

Marketing and Corporate Affairs Manager of the GPHA, Kumi Adjei-Sam, made this known when Award Winners of this year’s 28th National Best Farmers Award visited the Tema Port.

Mr Adjei-Sam indicated that a contract had being signed with China Harbour Engineering and Jandenul Limited for the expansion and dredging works respectively. He added that the GPHA was only waiting for the contractors to move to site for the expansion works to start. He said the Takoradi Port, which currently has four multi-purpose berths and two dedicated berths for manganese and bauxite would have more space after the expansion. He noted that the Tema Port would also undergo expansion after the Takoradi project is completed.

Mr Adjei-Sam further stated that apart from the congestion, the GPHA also wants to increase its activities and has acquired 400 computers to augment its stock to enable the Authority to computerise all its systems. He said more scanners were needed since the current two installed at the Tema Port were not enough for its operations. He congratulated the Award Winners and encouraged them to grow more to feed the country and assured that the GPHA was always happy to annually host them.

The 74 Award Winners toured the Port and took a 45-minutes cruise on board the “Manheam” tug boat.

Prior to the visit to the GPHA, the Award Winners had toured the factory of the Cocoa Processing Company (CPC).

The Acting Managing Director of the CPC, Charles Asante, in a briefing before the factory tour said the Company was established in 1965 by Dr Kwame Nkrumah to process cocoa into semi finished products which included cocoa butter, cocoa cake and cocoa powder. Mr Asante said five percent out of the current semi finished cocoa products they produce was processed into finished goods as chocolate, chocolate spread, pebbles among others by the factory. He indicated that the CPC had named its lemon flavoured chocolate (Akuafo Bar) in recognition of the contribution of farmers to the economy of the country.

A member of the National Farmers’ Day Planning Committee, Victoria Aniaku, who led the Award Winners, said out of the total 74 Award Winners nine were females.

Black pod threatens Cameroon cocoa -minister

Reuters Africa

By Tansa Musa

Oct 31, 2012

YAOUNDE Oct 31 (Reuters) - Weeks of heavy rains have triggered an outbreak of fungal black pod disease in cocoa plantations across Cameroon that could slash the country's output this season, Agriculture Minister Essimi Menye said on Wednesday.

Growers in Ivory Coast, the world's top cocoa producer, have also reported an increase in black pod disease due to heavy rainfall at the start of the 2012-13 crop.

Cameroon is the fifth-largest cocoa grower and produced about 220,000 tonnes last season. "I am afraid this disease (...) may reduce production by 40 percent this year if urgent measures aren't taken to help cocoa farmers," Menye told reporters, adding he had asked the government to distribute anti-fungal treatments.

Menye said he toured plantations in Cameroon's centre region earlier this week after receiving complaints from farmers about the disease due to persistent rains since mid-August.

Cameroon's year-long cocoa growing season starts in August, while Ivory Coast's began earlier this month.

Cocoa Experts and researchers meet in Yaounde

Cameroon Radio Television-Oct 17, 2012

17/10/2012

Experts and researchers on cocoa from around the world are examining new research techniques and strategies to improve on the quality of the produce.

The meeting is within the framework of the 17th international conference on cocoa research. Cameroon's Minister of Trade, Luc Magloire Mbarga Atangana is presiding over deliberations.

On the occasion, stakeholders from Cameroon indicated that the countries's annual cocoa production has risen from 120 thousand to 250 thousand metric tons after several years of stagnation.

The increase in production was attributed to higher prices and more investments in the cultivation of cocoa.

Scientists also indicated that, much work has been done by Cameroon's research centres and institutes to improve on the quality of yields.

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UP-COMING EVENTS IN THIS ISSUE

Inside THIS ISSE:

ISSUE NO. 516 29TH OCTOBER – 2ND NOVEMBER 2012

[pic]

Research & Development

Environmental Issues

Labour Issues

Business & Economy

Processing & Manufacturing

The Market

Production & Quality

Health and Nutrition

NEWS

Others

Promotion & Consumption

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