The National Cocoa and Coffee Board report indicates that 1,159 less of the crop was exported in March. The effects of the heavy rains witnessed in the cocoa producing zones of Cameroon are beginning to be felt. As indicated by the latest report of the national branch of the Bank of Central African States (BEAC) on the economic activities in the first quarter of 2009, the rains seem to be having a significant toll on the state of the road. The report stated that although too much rains could lead to satisfactory flowering of the cocoa plants, the same rains could have negative impact on roads used for cocoa evacuation.

This is feared to be one of the causes of the drop in export in March. According to the National Cocoa and Coffee Board report for March, cocoa exports dropped 21 percent. Exporters shipped 4,482 metric tonnes, compared with 5,641 metric tonnes during the same period last year, indicating 1,159 metric tonnes drop, the report said.

Shipments for February stood at 9,701 metric tonnes, compared with 14,021 metric tonnes a year earlier an earlier report said. Apart from the rains, actors in the sector equally blame the situation on the global financial crisis, which they say has affected the purchasing power of exporters.

The average price received for cocoa exported last month at the Douala port was CFA 1,215 a kilogramme, compared with about CFA 956 in the same period a year earlier, CT calculations from the Cocoa and Coffee Board statistics indicated. In the meantime, a kilogramme of the beans fetched an average CFA1, 130 in the Western and Littoral production zones, CFA 1,100 in the southern region, and CFA 1,110 in the Centre and Eastern region, farm reports said.

The Netherlands imported 1,997 metric tonnes, Spain 1,009 tonnes and France 800 tonnes, the Cocoa and Coffee Board report stated. Thirteen companies were involved in shipments of the beans, with GIC FROBA exporting the most, followed by TELCAR Cocoa Ltd and FAKOCO Sarl, the report indicated.