Cameroon Cocoa Crop Could Fall as Much as 19% to 195,000 Tons

Cameroon Cocoa Crop Could Fall as Much as 19% to 195,000 Tons

Cocoa production in Cameroon could
fall as much as 19 percent to 195,000 metric tons by the end of
the 2011-12 season from 240,000 tons a year earlier because of
pests, an official of the Cocoa and Coffee Board said.
The projected decline in output from Africa’s fourth-
biggest producer of the beans follows damage caused by capsid
bugs in the Center region of the country and caterpillars in the
Southwest region, Akamba Ava Michele, the head of quality
control and sales, said today from Douala in an e-mailed
response to questions. The two regions account for about 80
percent of national production.
“We expect to produce between 195,000 and 200,000 tons this
year as a result of the attacks,” Akamba Ava said.
Cocoa output for the 2010-11 season was 240,000 tons,
according to the Ministry of Agriculture.