By Emmanuel Tumanjong
Special to DOW JONES NEWSWIRES
YAOUNDE, Cameroon--The two companies processing cocoa in
Cameroon bought fewer beans to feed their factories between August
and February, as less of the commodity came on the market during
the last two months, statistics published by the crop's main
industry indicated.
The West African nation's cocoa beans are crushed locally by Sic
Cacao, the Cameroon 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.
Together they bought 25,370 metric tons of cocoa beans between
the August and February, down from 30,299 tons they jointly bought
during the same period of the last season [August-July].
Sic Cacao bought 23,769 tons of the total while Chococam
purchased 1,601 tons.
The National Cocoa and Coffee Board statistics show that
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.
Cameroon, the world's fifth cocoa producer is inching toward its
the main-crop cocoa harvest and NCCB said manufacturers bought less
cocoa because the crop is getting scarce on the markets.
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 beans during the 2013-2014
season, down from 201,563 tons in the previous season, when output
nosedived to 209,905 tons, saccording to industry data. A total of
228,911 tons of cocoa beans was harvested in the 2012-2013
season.
Write to Emmanuel Tumanjong at
realtimedesklondon@dowjones.com
Subscribe to WSJ: http://online.wsj.com?mod=djnwires