(Business in Cameroon) - In Cameroon, cocoa processing companies are currently facing a continuing decline in activities, mainly due to the ongoing crisis in Anglophone regions. This was revealed by the national inter-employers’ group (Gicam) in a recent report on the crisis’ economic impact.

According to the group, three companies which mainly source raw materials from the North-West and South-West regions are likely to shut down activities over five weeks. These include Douala-based Sic Cacaos with a processing capacity of 55,000 tons, as well as Neo Industry (based in Kekem) and Atlantic Cocoa (in Kribi), which will respectively commission a 32,000-ton plant and a 48,000-ton unit in a few months' time.

GICAM said, the discontinuity in activity could make the companies lose around CFA10.8 billion. However, there is room for recovery. “The recovery of activity lies, in the short term, on the possibility of finding other sources of supply and in particular using spot imports,” the group mentioned.

Sylvain Andzongo