(Business in Cameroon) - Cameroon will provide CFA1 billion premium to cocoa producers who would supply better quality cocoa during the 2017-2018 season. This was revealed during the 2017-2018 campaign’s review meeting organized last week in Ntui.

According to our sources, this premium was constituted by levying CFA5 from the export tax which should be paid to the Fonds de développement des filières cacao-café (FODECC).

In the coming weeks, a committee of government’s representatives, supporting structures, and the professionals will meet to establish the list of the beneficiaries (thanks to the sales notes delivered after each purchasing operation and on which the quality of each cocoa sold is mentioned) and determine how the fund will be distributed to them.

This premium is part of the government’s measure to encourage local cocoa producers to produce better quality cocoa.  Let’s remind that some exporters have already initiated various measures to improve cocoa’s quality in the country by encouraging the production of certified cocoa.

For instance, Telcar Cocoa, the local representative of Cargill trained thousands of producers and during the last five cocoa campaigns, they were provided CFA3.7 billion cocoa premium.

Let’s remind that during the last three cocoa campaigns, more than 90% of the cocoa beans exported by Cameroon were grade II products. Due to this fact, its price is discounted by up to CFA200 per kilogram on the international market despite the various measures initiated by the cocoa council and the government.

Brice R. Mbodiam