YAOUNDE, Cameroon (Dow Jones)—At least 80% of the cocoa beans
output in Cameroon in the 2008-09 season was exported to the
Netherlands, data published Tuesday by commodity regulator the
National Cocoa and Coffee Board, or NCCB, show.
Cocoa output in Cameroon's 2008-09 season, which runs from
August to July, hit a 20-year high of 210,605 metric tons, up from
187,500 tons on the year, NCCB statistics said.
The Dutch-bound cocoa beans were mainly shipped by the two
leading cocoa exporters in Cameroon, Cargill inc. and Archer
Daniels Midland Co. (ADM), which both have cocoa entry location in
the Netherlands, the figures showed.
China, India, the U.K., Belgium and Italy were among the new
importers of Cameroon's cocoa in the 2008-09 season.
Asian cocoa grower Malaysia imported 4.58% of the Cameroon's
cocoa.
"If Malaysia is importing our cocoa, we believe it is because
Cameroon's cocoa has a rare characteristic - naturally colored with
a peculiar dark-red - that makes it highly appreciated by several
cocoa consumers," NCCB Managing Director Michael Ndoping told Dow
Jones Newswires.
-By Emmanuel Tumanjong, contributing to Dow Jones Newswires;
+237-9655-6261, +237-7773-1930; tnuel@yahoo.com