Cameroon cocoa prices dip, weather good for mid-crop

YAOUNDE, May 16 (Reuters) - Cocoa farmgate prices in Cameroon have slipped in most growing areas since April amid thin buying interest ahead of the peak of the mid-crop, farmers said over the weekend.

Growing weather in the world's No. 5 cocoa producer, meawhile, was considered ideal, signaling robust volumes for the last part of the year-long season.

Cameroon's cocoa season runs from August 1 to July 31, with the main harvest period from October to January/February, and the mid-crop following that.

"What we are happy about is the very fine weather, characterised by little rainfall and plenty of sunshine, an indication that the mid-crop harvest may be good," said Emmanuel Nnogo Akolo from Emana in the Centre region, summing up the situation in all growing zones.

"As a result, there are almost no cases of the black pod disease this year. Moreover, this fine weather gives enough time to treat our farms, with the plants making maximum use of the pesticides, insecticides and fertilizer."

The country commercialised some 197,000 tonnes of cocoa beans in 2009/10. But reports so far show that the volume will be over 200,000 tonnes due to increase in output from improved, high-yielding variety seedlings distributed to farmers by the cocoa development authority SODECAO in 2006/07.

Cocoa exports by the end of February were 184,090 tonnes, up 22 percent from the same period a year ago. [COC/CM]

Below is a table showing farmgate prices in CFA francs per kilogram for May 2011:

                  May             April                Mar
South-West:
- Kumba            1,200             1,300              1,430
- Konye      1,100-1,200       1,200-1,250        1,300-1,400
- Mamfe            1,300       1,200-1,250              1,450
Centre:
- Bafia            1,150       1,150-1,200        1,400-1,450
- Emana            1,000             1,200              1,400
- Mbalmayo         1,000             1,100        1,200-1,300
South:
-Sangmelima        1,100             1,000        1,150-1,200
- Ebolowa          1,000       1,025-1,050        1,200-1,250
East:
- Bertoua      900-1,000             1,200              1,350
- Yokadouma    950-1,150       1,250-1,300              1,300
 (Reporting by Tansa Musa; editing by Richard Valdmanis and
Keiron Henderson)


(Source: http://af.reuters.com/article/cameroonNews/idAFLDE74F0TB20110516)