copal cocoa info. 452.doc · web viewsep 2011 2925 2906 -3 2955 2901 12,848 dec 2011 2945 2943 -2...

INSIDE THIS ISSE: ICCO DAILY COCOA PRICES LONDON (LIFFE) FUTURES

MARKET UPDATE NEW YORK (ICE) FUTURES

MARKET UPDATE FROM THE NEWS MEDIA TIT BITS

1. Meeting of Head of Cocoa Research Institutes, 19th – 22nd July, 2011, COPAL Secretariat, Lagos, Nigeria

2. Certification Workshop, 12th – 13th September, 2011, Brasilia, Brazil

3. Meeting of Market Committee of Experts, 13th September, 2011, Brasilia, Brazil

4. 74th General Assembly of COPAL, 14th – 16th September, 2011, Brasilia, Brazil

5. Basic Chocolate Making Course, 4th – 7th October, 2011, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

COPAL COCOACOPAL COCOA InfoInfo

A Weekly Newsletter of Cocoa Producers' Alliance

Health and Nutrition Cocoa’s benefits linked to anti-inflammatory

potential: Human data

Production and Quality Cocoboard replaces aged cocoa trees with hybrid Sweet times ahead for chocolate lovers Ghana to focus on cocoa certification to achieve

production targets

The Market Ecobank sees 2011-12 cocoa surplus on weak

demand World cocoa surplus 325,000 tonnes this season:

ICCO

Processing & Manufacturing Guan Chong Q2 net profit surges

Labour Issues Government develops child labour monitoring

system

Environmental Issue Dull, dry weather clouds Ivorian cocoa crop

prospects

Research & Development Research and Markets: Ghana Agribusiness

Report for Q4 2011 - Ghana to Reap a Record Cocoa Crop for 2010/11

Promotion & Consumption

Do your health a favour, drink Cocoa everyday

‘It’s nature’s miracle food’UP-COMING EVENTSUP-COMING EVENTS IN THISIN THIS

Issue No. 452 8th – 12th August 2011

Business & Economy Cameroon cocoa exports rose 18 percent in 2010-

11

Others Cameroon cocoa farmers seek help over

'mystery' disease

In the News (from Newspapers worldwide)

ICCO Daily Cocoa PricesICCO Daily Price

(SDR/tonne)ICCO Daily price

($US/tonne)London futures

(£/tonne)New York futures

($US/tonne)

8th August 1879.33 1879.33 1873.33 2961.67

9th August 1869.35 2994.94 1880.00 2950.67

10th August 1829.75 2940.21 1852.67 2889.67

11th August 1843.05 2946.2 1849.67 2895.67

12th August 1850.68 2962.46 1854.00 2911.33

Average 1854.00 2971.00 1862.00 2922.00

COCOA PRODUCERS’ ALLIANCE, NATIONAL ASSEMBLY COMPLEX TAFAWA BALEWA SQUARE, P.O. BOX 1718, LAGOS, NIGERIA. TEL: +234(0)1-263-5574 FAX: +234(0)1-263-5684

Email: [email protected] Website: www.copal-cpa.org2

mailto:[email protected]

International Financial Futures and Options Exchange (LIFFE)London Futures Market – Summary of Trading Activities

(£ per tone)

Monday 8th August 2011 Month Opening Trans Settle Change Daily High Daily Low Volume

Sep 2011 1838 1850 -2 1856S 1823 5,555Dec 2011 1864 1875 -6 1888 1858 4,920Mar 2012 1882 1895 -5 1903S 1882 743May 2012 1895 1903 -6 1915S 1892 257

Jul-12 1900 1912 -5 1911 1900 316Sep-12 1908 1921 -5 1913S 1908S 107

Dec 2012 1923 1934 -5 1923S 1923S 7Mar 2013 1943 -5 0May 2013 1945 -5 0Jul 2013 1945 -5 0

Average/Totals 1912 11,905

Tuesday 9th August 2011 Month Opening Trans Settle Change Daily High Daily Low Volume

Sep 2011 1854 1865 15 1868S 1845S 4,638Dec 2011 1881 1878 3 1887S 1865 4,363Mar 2012 1895 1897 2 1906S 1885 1,277May 2012 1903 1907 4 1911S 1896S 142

Jul-12 1905 1916 4 1917S 1898S 69Sep-12 1916 1926 5 1933S 1907 16

Dec 2012 1947 1938 4 1947S 1934S 18Mar 2013 1948 5 0May 2013 1952 7 0Jul 2013 1952 7 0


Wednesday 10th August 2011 Month Opening Trans Settle Change High Low Volume

Sep 2011 1856 1841 -24 1879S 1837 7,748Dec 2011 1871 1847 -31 1893S 1844 7,598Mar 2012 1891 1870 -27 1914S 1868 1,931May 2012 1919 1881 -26 1923S 1879S 671

Jul-12 1918 1892 -24 1929 1890S 581Sep-12 1926 1901 -25 1926S 1900S 69

Dec 2012 1940 1908 -30 1940S 1911S 100Mar 2013 1950 1918 -30 1950S 1950S 3May 2013 1926 -26 0Jul 2013 1926 -26 0


Thursday 11th August 2011



http://www.nybot.com/reports/dmrs/etsDMRs/dmrFutures.asp?dmrMonth=04&dmrDay=11&dmrYear=2007&commodityID=1&commodityType=future







Month Opening Trans Settle Change High Low VolumeSep 2011 1840 1834 -7 1844S 1825 4,416Dec 2011 1850 1847 0 1854S 1837 4,755Mar 2012 1871 1868 -2 1875 1858 1,993May 2012 1875 1881 0 1886S 1872S 879

Jul-12 1893 1895 3 1895S 1882 486Sep-12 1902 1904 3 1904S 1894S 128

Dec 2012 1900 1909 1 1912 1900S 549Mar 2013 1916 1910 -8 1916S 1916S 3May 2013 1918 -8 0Jul 2013 1918 -8 0


Friday 12th August 2011 Month Opening Trans Settle Change High Low Volume

Sep 2011 1835 1838 4 1850S 1833 1,660Dec 2011 1847 1852 5 1864 1842 3,733

Mar 2012 1876 1872 4 1884 1866S 1,960May 2012 1875 1882 1 1891S 1874 689

Jul-12 1895 1895 0 1899S 1895 290Sep-12 1904 1904 0 1906S 1904S 8

Dec 2012 1909 0 0Mar 2013 1911 1 0

May 2013 1919 1 0Jul 20113 1919 1 0


Average for the week 1890 12536 62,678









New York Board of Trade(New York Futures Market – Summary of Trading Activities)

(US$ per tone)

Monday 8th August 2011 Month Open Price Change High Low Volume

Sep 2011 2938 2909 -27 2953 2893 18,092Dec 2011 2970 2945 -30 2989 2928 17,416Mar 2012 3009 2999 -29 3021 2980 2,059May 2012 2990 3010 -28 3024 2990 150Jul 2012 3031 3024 -27 3031 3031 353Sep 2012 3042 3039 -25 3042 3042 388Dec 2012 3051 3050 -21 3051 3051 134Mar 2013 0 3055 -21 0 0 55May 2013 0 3062 -19 0 0 55Jul 2013 0 3077 -19 0 0 0

Average/Totals 3017 38702

Tuesday 9th August 2011 Month Open Price Change High Low Volume



Wednesday 10th August 2011 Month Open Price Change High Low Volume












Thursday 11th August 2011 Month Open Price Change High Low Volume

Sep 2011 2838 2856 9 2866 2814 10,218Dec 2011 2871 2886 15 2898 2846 16,671Mar 2012 2925 2938 14 2940 2900 2,979May 2012 2919 2950 15 2951 2911 573Jul 2012 2936 2967 16 2968 2930 352Sep 2012 2950 2982 18 2950 2947 220Dec 2012 2959 2994 17 2959 2959 51Mar 2013 0 3007 25 0 0 1May 2013 0 3014 25 0 0 0Jul 2013 0 3028 25 0 0 0


Friday 12th August 2011 Month Open Price Change High Low Volume

Sep 2011 2858 2879 23 2901 2856 6,266Dec 2011 2895 2907 21 2923 2883 11,465Mar 2012 2945 2958 20 2970 2938 2,993May 2012 2957 2967 17 2977 2950 1,035Jul 2012 2975 2981 14 2989 2975 187Sep 2012 2989 2991 9 3000 2986 580Dec 2012 0 3005 11 0 0 720Mar 2013 0 3012 5 0 0 202May 2013 0 3019 5 0 0 0Jul 2013 0 3033 5 0 0 0


Average for the week 2975 4263 4263











News

Health and Nutrit

Cocoa’s benefits linked to anti-inflammatory potential: Human dataNutraIngredients-usa.comBy Stephen Daniells, 11-Aug-2011

The potential health benefits of cocoa polyphenols may be linked to their anti-inflammatory potential, suggests data from a human study from the University of Barcelona, Spain.

Consuming 40 grams of polyphenol-rich cocoa powder was associated with a significant reduction in the activation of a protein called NF-kappaB, which is known to be play a key role in some inflammatory pathways.

“NF-kappaB is a transcriptional modulator of genes involved in inflammation and has a crucial role in atherosclerosis and other inflammatory diseases,” explained researchers in Nutrition, Metabolism and Cardiovascular Diseases . “Nowadays, it is considered a major therapeutic target.

“To our knowledge, there are no [other] studies in human volunteers on the effect of cocoa powder on NF-kappaB activation.”

Cocoa’s benefits

The health benefits of polyphenols from cocoa have been gathering increasing column inches in the national media. To date studies have reported potential benefits for cardiovascular health, skin health, and even brain health.

The majority of science into the potential benefits of cocoa have revolved around cardiovascular benefits of the flavanols (also known as flavan-3-ols or catechins), and particularly the monomeric flavanol (-)epicatechin.

Recently, however, scientists from the University of Reading in England and Mars reported that cocoa may also affect gut microflora and possess prebiotic potential.

Study details

The new study attempts to understand the mechanism behind the potential benefits and ascertain if there is the biological plausibility to support the reported health benefits.

Led by Emilio Sacanella, the researchers recruited 18 healthy volunteers aged between 19 and 49 and randomly assigned them to one of three groups: The first group received 40g of cocoa powder with milk, providing 62.1 milligrams of flavanols and 3.2 mg of flavonols per day; the second groups received the same cocoa dose with water (not milk); and the final group received only milk. The cocoa powder was supplied by Nutrexpa S.A.

After three weeks of intervention, the researchers report that NF-kappaB levels decreased significantly in the cocoa powder in water group, but not in the cocoa-milk group. Levels increased in the milk group, they added.

On the other hand, both cocoa groups experienced decreases in levels of intercellular adhesion molecule 1 (ICAM-1), which is reported to play a role in the early development of atherosclerosis.

The role of milk



NEWS

Health and Nutrition


“Although greatly controversial, milk might diminish the urinary excretion of some phase II metabolites of epicatechin,” said the researchers. “Cocoa-polyphenols that are not absorbed (mainly procyanidins) could reach the colon where they are degraded to phenolic acids by the intestinal microbiota and are absorbed in the organism.

“The effect of milk on the excretion of microbial phenolic acids after acute ingestion of cocoa powder has been studied and showed that milk significantly diminishes the urinary excretion of some phenolic acids related to the metabolism of cocoa-polyphenols such as caffeic, ferulic, 3,4-dihydroxyphenylacetic, protocatechuic, 4-hydroxybenzoic, 4-hydroxyhippuric, hippuric acids.

“Therefore, in general terms, metabolites derived from cocoa powder consumption seem to have greater bioavailability after cocoa-in-water than after cocoa-in-milk intake,” they added.

“Cocoa consumption could confer beneficial anti-inflammatory effects mediated by inhibition of the NF-kB-dependent transcription pathway or by direct interaction with certain cytokines and the food matrix could play a crucial role in the modulation of this effect,” they concluded.

“Cocoa consumption reduces NF-kappaB activation in peripheral blood mononuclear cells in humans”Authors: M. Vazquez-Agell, M. Urpi-Sarda, E. Sacanella, S. Camino-Lopez, et al.

Cocoboard replaces aged cocoa trees with hybridGhana News AgencyBy Assin Sienchem 10th August 2011

(C/R), Aug.10, GNA – The Central Regional Cocoa Swollen Shoot Virus Unit of Cocoboard has embarked on a programme to replace diseased and aged cocoa trees with free hybrid seedlings.

Mr Samuel Ankamah, Head of the Unit who made this known at a cocoa farmers rally at Assin Sienchem, cautioned farmers to maintain regular contact with their extension officers so that they could identify problems before the cocoa trees are attacked by pests and others diseases. He said over-grown farms did not produce yield high and also stand the risk of being attacked by Anunuom. He appealed to

the farmers to keep their Ago-Chemicals away from children since it is highly dangerous and poisonous to human health.

Mr Ankamah took the farmers through a variety of topics including the proper ways of planting the cocoa seedlings, rehabilitating farms and the description of the newly introduced hybrid cocoa seedling called Akokroabedzebe. He said extension officers of the Unit have been sent to the area and urged them form groups to enable them receive instructions on the modern ways of cocoa farming.

Mr Felix Quainoo, Assin District Extension Coordinator, advised the farmers to desist from engaging children as farm labourers because it is against the rules of the cocoa industry. He said children are the future leaders and they are entitled to have access to education.

Nana Ofori, Central Regional Cocoa Chief Farmer, said a new chemical called Confidor Oteq has been approved by the Cocoa Research Institute of Ghana and it is suitable for cocoa farms. He advised farmers to follow the approved six days fermentation and drying period to enable them produce good quality cocoa beans.

Nana Ofori said shorter periods of fermentation results in producing a high percentage of purple beans and appealed to farmers to adhere to the laid down rules to help save the cocoa industry.

Mr Ebenezer B. Quaye, Assin District Quality Cocoa Control Manager, advised the farmers to regularly harvest ripe cocoa pods on the trees to prevent them from being infested with a disease.



Production & Quality


Sweet times ahead for chocolate loversStuff.co.nz -By KIMBERLEY ROTHWELL10/08/2011

Maarten Holl Connoisseur: Jiri Havlik says working with chocolate is the height of the culinary foodchain.

Who knew chocolate making was so complicated?

Whirring away in a kitchen tucked behind the shop at Bohemein Chocolates in Hataitai are two machines, one stirring up pale- yellow white chocolate, the other a glorious milk chocolate.

A large wheel in each machine pulls up the lusciously shiny liquid and pours it out again, keeping it moving at a specific temperature. You can feel the heat coming off the machines,

and the smell is amazing.

Into the vat of white chococlate, Jiri Havlik pours in a few little nibs to cool the temperature, affecting the crystals inside the chocolate.

It's vital to get the right kind of chemistry inside the chocolate that allows it to set and to snap when bitten into. Get the makeup of crystals inside the chocolate wrong, and little shapes appear like the surface of cracked clay, and the chocolate has a tendency to crumble. Understanding this process, which most people know of as tempering but Havlik calls seeding, is as vital to a chocolatier as knowing how to use a hammer is to a builder.

Havlik is one of the chocolatiers from throughout the country showing off their skills and wares at the inaugural New Zealand Chocolate Festival, on this weekend. It promises to showcase chocolate in all its gorgeous forms, from decadent pieces to desserts, drinks and even a degustation menu. There are demonstrations showing the precision and meticulous care needed to make or cook with chocolate by some of New Zealand's top chocolatiers.

Chocolate is a combination of cocoa butter, cocoa solids and sugar. The higher the percentage of cocoa solids, the less sugar, and since cocoa solids give chocolate its brown colour, the darker the chocolate, the less sweet and more bitter it is.

Tasting a piece of 100 per cent cocoa chocolate is a bitter, intense experience. Cocoa butter is pretty much tasteless by itself but releases the flavour of the chocolate in the mouth. When tasting chocolate, Havlik says, break it with the teeth, then let it glide over the tongue.

Working with chocolate is the height of the culinary foodchain, Havlik says, as he unveils the elements of a chocolate sculpture he is making for the festival. The base includes green chocolate, coloured to represent greenstone; an unfinished kiwi, which without its feet and beak looks like a chocolate avocado; and red chocolate rocks, to represent Red Rocks on the city's south coast.

Havlik started out as a pastry chef in his native Czech Republic and has always been fascinated by chocolate. It's quite magical watching him catch white chocolate in a mould, set it on a vibrating plate to shake out the air bubbles, then turn it over. He pops it in the fridge and not long after the mould is lined with shiny cream casings ready to be filled with all manner of delicious ganaches, fruits and creams that are being whipped up in the kitchen next door.

After testing three of Jiri's incredible moulded chocolates - sea-salt caramel, vanilla cream and balsamic vinegar and honey ganache - I might never look at a block of Dairy Milk the same way again.




Ghana to focus on cocoa certification to achieve production targetsMyjoyonline.comBy: Kofi Adu Domfeh/Luv Fm/GhanaAugust 11, 2011

The Kuapa Kokoo Farmers’ Union wants the government and COCOBOD to take a critical look at cocoa certification as a key factor in modern cocoa production.

Cocoa buyers and consumers of chocolate around the world are increasingly demanding traceable cocoa and a lot of cocoa producing countries are grabbing the opportunities therein.

Cocoa certification demands that a farmer’s social, environmental and economic activities fall in line with best labour practices; in exchange

for premium price on produce.

This year for instance, Divine Chocolate Limited is contributing $178,000 in Fairtrade premiums through Fairtrade cocoa purchased from Ghana’s Kuapa Kokoo, which owns a part of the UK-based company.

Managing Director, Sophi Tranchell told Luv Biz Report “the certification is very useful for consumers in places like England and America to know that things have been checked”, adding that it can as well be useful tool for farmers to run their businesses better.

Few licenced buying companies in Ghana are however presently involved in this certification trade.

The 17th Annual Delegates Conference of Kuapa Kokoo Farmers’ Union in Kumasi focused on certification in cocoa as a means of achieving Ghana’s one million metric tonne target by 2012.

Cocoa certification consultant, Rita Owusu Amankwah says Ghana should start the process to share in the benefits of cocoa certification, as the global chocolate and cocoa industry rapidly move towards certified and sustainable cocoa marketing. She observed challenges, like increased labour cost and untimely supply of farm inputs, could be discouraging for farmers who want to join certification programmes.

Ms. Owusu Amankwah however believes cocoa farmers would be better off in the long run, based on the findings of a research she conducted in cocoa growing communities in the Ashanti and Western regions. “The certified farmers that I talked to, within a period of one and a half years, most of them have increased their yield from 10-55%, after good agricultural practices, integrated pest and crop management, and also adhering to other environmentally friendly standards”, she revealed.

To scale up cocoa certification programmes in Ghana, the Executive Director of the Kuapa Kokoo Farmers’ Union, Emmanuel Arthur has proposed the establishment of a desk by the Ghana Cocoa Board (CCOBOD) to coordinate activities. According to him, “it will be good for COCOBOD to play a central role in the certification process, so that whatever certification scheme is being introduced in Ghana, COCOBOD is aware and is aware of the benefits that the farmers will get and then the obligations that they have to go through in that certification”.

Kuapa Kooko is implementing an Internal Control System and embarking on environmental and child labour programmes to meet fair trade standards of production. Meanwhile, Kuapa Kokoo Limited bought 28,645 tonnes of cocoa for the 2009/2010 main crop season, out of a targeted 35,000 tonnes.

Managing Director, Kwasi Aduse-Poku attributes the shortfall in purchases to challenges in cash flow, including delayed release of Seed Fund from COCOBOD to purchase cocoa during the pre-season. He said whilst management is working to source additional trading capital for purchases, the farmers should take advantage of an input credit system established by the Kuapa Kokoo Credit Union to expand their farms.




Ecobank sees 2011-12 cocoa surplus on weak demandMarketWatchBy Neena RaiAug. 10, 2011, LONDON (MarketWatch) -- The supply of cocoa is forecast to outpace demand in the 2011-12 marketing year as poor prospects for global growth are seen weakening chocolate consumption, according to pan-African banking group Ecobank Transnational Inc. Wednesday.

Edward George, soft commodities specialist at Ecobank, said the cocoa surplus for 2011-12 could hit 100,000 metric tons and would come on top of an anticipated 200,000 tons from the current season. "With extremely weak consumer demand in the U.S. and the EU (European Union), plus a slowdown in China (albeit from a very high rate of growth), demand for chocolate will be weak, cutting demand for beans," George said.

Although both Ivory Coast and Ghana are unlikely to see second consecutive year of record crops in 2011-12, the West African countries should still produce close to historical levels. Given also a rebound in production in Indonesia and steady growth in Nigeria and Cameroon, this means that the current cocoa surplus this season will continue into 2011-12, the analyst said.

The bank said it anticipates a fall in grindings in 2011-12, although an exact estimate was not possible. Grindings are a key indicator of demand for cocoa from the chocolate and foods industries.

The Ivorian mid-crop is making good progress, with high deliveries of beans to ports, George said.

However, many of these beans may have been stockpiled from the main crop when buyers were scarce, and the temporary management board has been forced to increase the authorized limit on the number of beans per 100 grams for sale to 125 from 105, which indicates that there is a high proportion of smaller beans, the analyst added. "These two factors are likely to undercut the expected increase in cocoa export revenues this season, as many beans may not be suitable for export," George said.

World cocoa surplus 325,000 tonnes this season: ICCOReuters AfricaBy Tim Cocks and Ange AboaAug 11, 2011 ABIDJAN (Reuters) - Better-than-expected cocoa production in West Africa will boost global output to 4.2 million tonnes in the 2010/11 season, creating a surplus of 325,000 tonnes, the International Cocoa Organisation (ICCO) said on Wednesday.

That figure was up from an estimate last month of 187,000 tonnes.

In a Reuters interview during a visit to Ivory Coast, ICCO executive director Jean-Marc Anga also said bad weather in the past weeks would most likely cause global output to fall back below 4 million tonnes in the 2011/12 season, bringing the world back into a deficit.

"The initial output we had for the world's cocoa output was 4,025,000 tonnes. We are reviewing this upwards rather considerably," he said. "At the moment, we're moving from about 187,000 in our last publication to close to 325,000 tonnes."

He added: "The weather has played a bigger role in improving production in West Africa than we anticipated."

He added that this was even taking into account a fall in production in Indonesia, largely due to disease. He said Indonesia was expected to produce around 470,000 tonnes or possibly 480,000, compared with earlier projections of more than half a million.

He maintained the ICCO's price forecast of around $3,000 tonnes for next year.



The Market


Much of the gains were in West Africa, with Ivory Coast likely to produce a record 1.5 million tonnes and Ghana to "go beyond" 1 million tonnes, he said. That was largely down to good weather, although Anga said another factor was improved husbandry, especially in Ghana after a systematic spraying programme there.

Ivory Coast has defied expectations by producing what looks like a record crop, despite a political crisis that tipped the country back into civil war and shut down cocoa exports for three months. "Even in Cote D'Ivoire (Ivory Coast) where the political situation has been a hindrance to an increase in production, we have raised its level."

But if better production was largely down to good weather before the start of this season, poor weather in West Africa now, at a crucial stage for the development of pods ahead of the next main crop starting in October, would bring levels back down, he said.

"Looking for the evolution of weather for the current year, we do not believe we that it is going to be conducive to a huge crop for next year ... rainfall has not been adequate," he said. "The structural deficit is still fundamental, even if from time to time you're going to have a surplus due to weather."

Guan Chong Q2 net profit surgesMalaysia Star -By THOMAS HUONGAugust 12, 2011PETALING JAYA: Guan Chong Bhd (GCB), one of the largest cocoa processors in the region, recorded a 76.5% year-on-year jump in net profit to RM34.5mil in its second quarter ended June 30, 2011.

Revenue grew 23.6% year-on-year to RM334.6mil, and the better financial performance was attributed mainly to additional production from the group's new plant in Batam, Indonesia. “While our Pasir Gudang (plant) maintained its full capacity in the quarter under review, our recently-commissioned Batam plant processed 13,000 metric tonnes of cocoa beans to raise the group's total production capacity to 32,000 metric tonnes,” said GCB managing director and chief executive officer Brandon Tay Hoe Lian in a statement yesterday.

Tay added that he was optimistic of further growth in current financial year, with the group's expanded capacity and sustainable global demand for cocoa.

Confident: Tay is optimistic of further growth in Guan Chong’s current financial year.

“Demand for cocoa has held steady through the various economic cycles, even as the food and beverage industry continues to innovate various cocoa applications, and consumers worldwide favour chocolate,” said Tay.

For the first six months ended June 30, the group's net profit rose 64.4% year-on-year to RM64.5mil while revenue increased 15.7% year-on-year to RM624.6mil.

Apart from higher sales tonnage, the better financial performance was also due to reduced finance costs and recognition of tax incentives from increased export allowance.

Cameroon cocoa exports rose 18 percent in 2010-11Reuters AfricaAug 12, 2011



Business & Economy

Processing & Manufacturing


YAOUNDE (Reuters) - Cococa exports from Cameroon, the world's fifth biggest grower, totaled 202,721 tonnes during the full 2010-11 season, up nearly 18 percent from the previous season's 172,177 tonnes, according to preliminary data from the National Coffee and Cocoa Board issued on Friday.

The figures do not include the roughly 30,000 tonnes of cocoa purchased by Cameroon's sole grinder Sic-Cacaos during the season, which officials said yielded record production from the country's plantations.

Cameroon's cocoa season runs from the beginning of August to the end of July, and authorities have said good weather was a major factor behind the bumper crop.

Ivory Coast and Ghana, the world's No. 1 and No. 2 growers respectively, were also expected to have produced record quantities of cocoa this year due to ideal weather -- leading the International Cocoa Organisation to raise its forecast for a global supply surplus this week.

Strong cocoa production has helped pull cocoa prices down in recent months .

Cameroon's leading exporter was Telcar Cocoa Ltd. with 26.23 percent, followed by Olam Cam with 16.86 percent, according to the figures. Some 6,229 tonnes of cocoa were exported in July, the final month of the 2010-11 season, up from 5,238 tonnes during the same period a year ago, the NCCB said.

Cameroon sold 197,000 tonnes of cocoa during the 2009-10 season -- reflecting exports and local grinding -- down from 205,000 tonnes the year before. Full sales data for the 2010-11 season are not yet available, but are expected exceed 230,000 tonnes. Local grinder Sic-Cacaos had purchased more than 28,000 tonnes by the end of June.

Government develops child labour monitoring systemGhana News AgencyTwifo-Praso 10th August 2011

(C/R), Aug. 10, GNA – The Government has developed the Ghana Child Labour Monitoring system to help identify children at risk and already in the worst forms of child labour in the cocoa sector with appropriate referral systems for remediation.

Mr Sekyere Antwi-Boasiako, Deputy Minister for Employment and Social Welfare, said there was the need to eliminate child labour from the cocoa sub-sector, noting that, the commodity contributed to the country’s Gross Domestic

Product and development.

Mr Antwi-Boasiako, said this at the opening of a two-day district level consultative workshop for Cocoa growing areas on the international labour organisation’s (ILO) new Cocoa Community Project (CCP) at Twifo-Praso, in the Twifo Hermang District of the Central Region on Monday. “To eliminate the Worst Forms of Child Labour from the Cocoa sub-industry is therefore a necessary task, which must be done. But if we must do it well then we need not disregard the complex nature of the phenomenon, including the cultural and traditional challenges involved in combating the practice,” he added.



Labour Issues


He said the CCP was a strategic approach and a composite development programme for Cocoa communities to achieve the aim of eliminating child labour. “As Partners we are all aware of the negative consequences of child labour which does not only affect the child but the whole community and the country at large,” he noted.

Mr Antwi-Boasiko, explained that, not too long ago, the menace became an international issue, which nearly threatened the entire Cocoa industry in Ghana, adding that, the world was about to boycott Cocoa produced in Ghana, if it was produced by the labour of children. He urged the district to seize the opportunity offered by the project to make a difference in the elimination of worst forms of child labour in their communities.

Mr Foster Joseph Andoh, District Chief Executive for Twifo Hermang Lower Denkyira said most of the time, all the various areas where the menace existed also experience poverty and under development. “The reason being that the children, who are to get proper education to help in developing the areas, do not get the opportunity, hence under development and poverty,” he added.

He said the district was ever ready to support the ILO by way of paying its counterpart fund on time, while its technical officers were ready to bring their expertise on board. “We are ready to do all we can because the children in this district are the future of the district, if they lose out in education, then the future will be very bleak for the development of the area,” he explained.

Mrs Miriam Gachago, Chief Technical Advisor for ILO, urged the district to seize the opportunity and make the Central Region child labour free zone, particular where 34 per cent of children were engaged in one hazardous activity, at least in all sectors, whiles 11 per cent were believed to be in hazardous work in the Cocoa sector. She called on all partners to ensure a united effort in planning the project interventions in order to eliminate these forms of child labour, adding that, the key to effective development was partnership. She expressed the hope that the good experience used to implement other ILO projects in the past would be replicated on the new project. She said the US Department of Labour was committed to the fight against child labour, hence its continuous support in that direction.

Dull, dry weather clouds Ivorian cocoa crop prospectsReuters AfricaAug 9, 2011 * No rain, no sun could diminish next main crop* Cocoa needs a good mix of bothABIDJAN Aug 9 (Reuters) - Meagre rains and overcast weather last week in Ivory Coast's cocoa growing regions were generally bad for the development of the forthcoming 2011/12 main cocoa crop, farmers said on Tuesday.

Traders are now watching the development of the next cocoa main crop after a record 2010/11 crop estimated at up to 1.6 million tonnes, not including an estimated 100,000 tonnes expected to be smuggled out through Ivory Coast's neighbours.In this crucial period of August in the world's top cocoa producer, plantations need enough sunshine and light rains to trigger new flowering and to boost the development of small pods into large, harvestable ones.

The size of the crop depends on the number of flowers that survive to form pods. Farmers said it is too early to make a forecast but end August will give a good idea of the main crop.

In the eastern region of Abengourou and south eastern region of Aboisso, where analysts reported respectively 3 millimetres and none, farmers said cooler and overcast weather was holding back the development of pods and helping the spread of the fungal black pod disease. "There's not rain, but neither is the sun appearing and the weather is cold," said farmer Joseph Amani, who farms in the outskirts of Abengourou, which is known for the high quality of its beans. "The cold and lack of sun could kill the budding pods."

Farmer Etienne Yao, who farms in Aboisso, said lack of sun had already brought on some black pod disease. "Some small pods have already been destroyed," he said.



Environmental Issue


In the centre-western region of Daloa, producing the quarter of Ivory Coast cocoa output, no rain fell and farmers were worried about the lack of sun and downpours. "If the cool weather continues, there won't be enough sun or rain, the worst combination, and the pods will start falling off the trees and the main crop will be bad this time around," said farmer Attoungbre Kouame.

Farmers added the lack of enough sun and the cloudy weather could prevent the crop from reaching its maximum potential. But in the western region of Soubre, farmers were more upbeat, after one good sunny spell and what an analyst said was 6 millimetres of rains. "We have a lot of hope for the main crop, because there are already a lot of pods on the trees. They'll be ripe soon and all the flowers indicate the crop will be strong," farmer Lazare Ake said.

And in western regions of Duekoue and Gagnoa, farmers said no rain fell last week and there was a lack of sun but the crop had not yet been affected. "It's not really raining but things are going well on the trees, which have a lot of flowers and pods. Good quality cocoa will start coming out soon," said farmer Mamadou Kone, who farms near Duekoue.

Similar growing conditions were reported in the coastal region of Sassandra where there was no rain, according to agronomist Lassene Traore.

Research and Markets: Ghana Agribusiness Report for Q4 2011 - Ghana to Reap a Record Cocoa Crop for 2010/11Business Wire (press release)August 11, 2011 DUBLIN--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Research and Markets (http://www.researchandmarkets.com/research/3ced74/ghana_agribusiness) has announced the addition of the "Ghana Agribusiness Report Q4 2011" report to their offering.

Business Monitor International's Ghana Agribusiness service provides proprietary medium term price forecasts for key commodities, including corn, wheat, rice, sugar, cocoa, coffee, soy and milk; in addition to newly-researched competitive intelligence on leading agribusiness producers, traders and suppliers; in-depth analysis of latest industry developments; and essential industry context on Ghana's agribusiness service.

Ghana looks set to reap a record cocoa crop for 2010/11 after a rise in the fixed price encouraged soaring plantings. The country's aim to produce 1mn tonnes of the commodity may still remain elusive, however. Cte d'Ivoire has resumed exports after the war in the country ended and BMI expects prices to fall through the year. At the same time, while Ghana is producing more corn than ever, this has not prevented shortages for poultry farmers that are holding the industry back. Better government support is needed to ensure such shortages do not derail growth.

Key Forecasts:

* In 2009/10, Ghana produced 1.62mn tonnes of corn. In 2010/11, BMI notes that rains have been abundant, promoting good crop development and this report expects to see a year-on-year production rise of 5.0% to 1.70mn tonnes. * In 2011 this publisher is forecasting corn consumption of 1.68mn tonnes. Over the forecast period, we expect consumption to rise to 2.05mn tonnes, up 28%. * In 2010/11 sorghum production is estimated at 360,000 tonnes, up 2.5% year-on-year. Over the forecast period, this report expects output to rise 25% to reach 440,000 tonnes in 2014/15. * BMI now estimates poultry production in 2010 of 38,000 tonnes and expect this to rise to 40,600 tonnes in 2011, up 6.4% year-on-year. * This publisher has revised up the Ghanaian cocoa forecast for 2010/11 and now expects production to come in at 868,000 tonnes, up an impressive 37% year-on-year.

Industry Developments:



Research & Development


In May, the government announced it was going to launch a Poultry Support Programme to reform and develop the poultry industry over coming years. The announcement came following a meeting between Ghana's vice president John Dramani Mahama, the Ministry of Food and Agriculture (Mofa) and poultry farmers. Problems discussed included the high cost of feed and vaccines, the high cost of chicks and competition from imports. Mahama called on Mofa to release yellow corn from its stocks to ensure poultry farmers had enough for their activities.

Cocoa exports from neighbouring Cte d'Ivoire, the world's largest producer, have resumed. This should lead to falling prices through the year. Looking ahead to 2011/12, BMI believes the Ghanaian government's expectation of a 1.0mn-tonne cocoa crop is slightly unrealistic, as it would require near perfect growing weather and smuggling flows to reverse.

Cameroon cocoa farmers seek help over 'mystery' diseaseReuters AfricaAug 8, 2011

A man grades cocoa beans in a warehouse in Gonate, western Ivory Coast.

YAOUNDE (Reuters) - Cocoa farmers in one of Cameroon's leading production areas have asked government to help fight a 'mystery' tree disease, which they said has decimated thousands of plants in the world's fifth largest cocoa grower.

Over the past year, the disease has attacked tree roots, turning them rust-coloured and eventually killing them, Abraham Abong, the chair of a local farmers cooperative in the South West region of Central African state, said.

Abong did not say how many trees have been destroyed, but added that over half of his 23,000 members of the Ekona Area Farmers Cooperative Union said their farms had been affected and output has declined this season.

"The disease continues to spread from farms on the upper slopes of Mount Cameroon to valleys now and affecting more and more members of our union," Abong said.

"In fact, I've stopped treating my plants with chemicals because it is just wasting money as more and more trees are destroyed."

Cameroon has forecast cocoa production to reach a season record 230,000 tonnes compared with 197,000 tonnes last season and plans to double cocoa production, one of its main foreign-exchange earners, by 2015.



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