By Emmanuel Tumanjong
Special to DOW JONES NEWSWIRES
YAOUNDE, Cameroon--Cocoa beans purchased for processing by
crushers in Cameroon between August and November 2014 have slightly
risen on the previous year, the National Cocoa and Coffee Board
(NCCB) said in a report Friday.
Two companies--Sic Cacao, the Cameroon-based unit of
Switzerland's Barry Callebaut AG (BARN.EB) and South Africa's Tiger
Brand (TBS.JO), owner of Chocolaterie Confiserie du Cameroun, or
Chococam, process Cameroon's cocoa beans locally before exporting
the by-products.
Sic Cacao bought 8,252 tons of cocoa beans in November 2014
alone, while Chococam bought 456 tons. Chocolate, cocoa powder,
cocoa cake and liquor produced by Sic Cacao and Chococam are
marketed mainly in the European Union, Cameroon and its five
neighboring countries in the Economic Community of Central African
States, or Cemac.
The local purchase of cocoa beans from August through October
2014 totaled 21,852 metric tons, up from 20,558 tons bought in the
previous period, the statistics showed.
Cocoa beans grindings in Cameroon during the 2013-2014 season
stood at 32,804 tons, up from 32,019 tons processed in the previous
season.
The country exported 158,311 tons of cocoa beans during the
2013-2014 season, down from 201,563 metric tons in the previous
season, according to industry data. The data also showed output in
the world's fifth-largest cocoa producer during the 2013-2014
season nosedived to 209,905 tons. A total of 228,911 tons of cocoa
beans was harvested in the 2012-2013 season.
Write to Emmanuel Tumanjong at
realtimedesklondon@dowjones.com
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