(Business in Cameroon) - On 7th August 2015 in Ayos, the breadbasket of the Centre region, which hosted the ceremony to launch the 2015-2016 cocoa season, Michael Ndoping, the Director General of the National Cocoa and Coffee Board (ONCC), revealed that Cameroonian producers brought 10,000 tonnes of certified cocoa to market in 2014-2015.

This production practically doubles that of the previous season, which had reached 5,446 tonnes, against around only 2,000 tonnes in 2012-2013. This means that, in the last three cocoa seasons, Cameroonian farmers have increased certified cocoa production fivefold.

This increase in certified cocoa production is due to the cetification programmes put in place by traders. Among the latter is Telcar Cocoa, the local representative of Cargill, which has remained the leader on the certified cocoa market in Cameroon. The ONCC Director General indicated that Telcar invested in this sector of the cocoa market alongside Sic Cacacaos, a subsidiary of Barry Callebault, and AMS, a subsidiary of the Dutch company, Theobroma.