(Business in Cameroon) - According to the Inter-professional Coffee and Cocoa Council (CICC), the second international festival for Cameroonian coffee, Festicoffee, will be held on May 29-31 of this year in four cities across the country – Yaoundé, the capital, Akonolinga, Belo and Santchou, three main production areas in Cameroon.

These three production zones will host discussions among coffee sector operators while the Cameroonian capital will be the backdrop for an exhibitory fair, talks with Robusta coffee researchers, a production forum and a gala soirée for the presentation of awards to industry operators.

The Festicoffee launch will be on May 29 – a national day of Cameroon coffee-tasting to be coordinated simultaneously in 17 towns and cities. Along with these activities, there will be the General Assembly of the Agency for Robusta coffee from Africa and Madagascar (ACRAM).

Considered as a platform for the trade and promotion of Cameroonian coffee, Festicoffee aims “to promote the local consumption of African coffee in its many varieties and forms; highlight the know-how of local producers who have garnered national and international prizes; raise awareness about the cultivation, processing and consumption of coffee and its by-products; and promote activities taking place in the Cameroonian coffee sector.”

This year’s Cameroonian coffee festival is being held in a climate of drastic declines in production, some figures being as high as 56%. According to the CICC, this bleak performance brought the country down 30^th on the global rankings of coffee producing countries.