(Business in Cameroon) - During the 2017-18 campaign which ended mid-July, Cameroon hit significant progress improving its quality label. Indeed, the country known as a grade II cocoa exporter (over 90% of export volumes in the last three seasons), shipped about 9,000 tons of grade I beans.

“The volume of beans exported in grade I rose from 1,099 tons in 2016-17 to 8,933 tons in 2017-2018, a 713% year-on-year increase,” said Luc Magloire Mbarga Atangana, the trade minister during the launching of the 6th edition of the Cameroon International Cocoa Festival (Festicacao) August 8 in Yaoundé.

According to the minister, this growth momentum “is set to go further following the generalization and extension of the program designed to establish a number of centers of excellence for cocoa post-harvest processing in the country's production basins”. The program is piloted by the Interprofessional Council for Cocoa and Coffee (CICC), along with partners such as the Fédération des chocolatiers et confiseurs de France.

BRM