CAMEROON/UGANDA – Cameroon has registered a 12% rise in cocoa production in the 2020/2021 season to 292,471 tons.
The 35,319 tons increase in produced volumes is the highest attained in the country over the past six production seasons, further propelling the attainment of the 300,000 tons production mark set in the country.
According to reports by Business in Cameroon, local grinders processed 62,341 tons of cocoa, slightly up by 3.3% compared with the volume of cocoa processed during the 2019-2020 season.
The upward performance is attributed to the commissioning of a fifth processing plant in the country, Atlantic Cocoa, which launched operations alongside traditional players like Sic Cacaos, Neo Industry, Chococam, and Ferrero.
The highest farm gate prices during the period under review was XAF1,210 per kilogram while the lowest was XAF700.
“Thanks to a perfectible but effective internal organization and a preventive export levy policy, the farm gate prices paid to Cameroonians has remained much higher than the prices applicable in other producing countries,” Minister of Commerce Luc Magloire Mbarga Atangana said.
Uganda’s coffee exports rise by double digits
Meanwhile in the East African nation of Uganda, Coffee exports in July 2021 amounted to 700,035 60-kilo bags worth US$ 69. 93 million.
This was an increase of 28.77% and 39.27 % in quantity and value respectively compared to the same month last year, indicates Uganda Coffee Development Authority (UCDA) on the monthly report.
The performance also exhibited the country’s continuous monthly growth in export volumes in the current year. In June, Uganda sold 618,388 60-kilo bags worth US$ 58.56 million.
The total exported volumes in July, comprised of 660,458 bags of Robusta valued at US$62.89 million and 52,939 bags of Arabica valued at US$ 8.31 million.
According to the report, Robusta increased by 41.27% and 56.32% in quantity and value respectively, while Arabica exports decreased in both quantity and value by 47.99% and 29.42% respectively.
Italy maintained the highest market share of the leading importer accounting for 36.25% of the market share. It was followed by Germany 12.12%, India 8.83%, Algeria 8.54%, and Sudan 8.18%.
Europe remained the main destination for Uganda’s coffees with 61% imports share, while coffee exports to Africa amounted to 147,652 bags, accounting for 21% of the market share.
African import destination included Sudan, Morocco, Kenya, Algeria, Egypt and Somalia.
Looking at the global coffee exports for Coffee in Year 2020/21, USDA estimated that 142.4 million bags will be traded compared to 138.4 million bags in 2019/20.
The major drivers of this increase in exports are: Brazil (45.0 million bags), Vietnam 25.6 million bags), Colombia (13.8 million bags), Indonesia (7.8 million bags) and Uganda (5.9 million bags).
Global coffee production for 2020/21 is estimated to increase by 3.8% to 175.8 million bags up from 169.3 million bags in Coffee Year 2019/20. While consumption is estimated to increase by 0.6% % to 163.1 million bags.