Cocoa |

World Bank Pledges Support to Ivory Coast, Ghana Cocoa Venture

ACCRA (Capital Markets in Africa) – The World Bank said it will support plans by Ivory Coast and Ghana to develop a coordinated strategy for their cocoa sectors as the two biggest producers seek to exert better control over global prices and derive more value from growing the beans. The pledge by the Washington-based lender comes as the President Alassane Ouattara of Ivory Coast and his Ghanaian counterpart, Nana Akufo-Addo, signed an agreement Tuesday to adopt common policies…

Ghana Cocoa Regulator Is Said to Face $280 Million Shortfall

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ACCRA (Capital Markets in Africa) – Ghana’s cocoa regulator is facing a 1.25 billion ($285 million) cedi budget shortfall for the new harvest as the world’s second-biggest producer of the beans is keeping farmer pay unchanged even after global prices slumped, according to two people familiar with the matter. At a forecast crop of 850,000 metric tons for the new season through September, the Ghana Cocoa Board will lose 1,481 cedis per ton after all expenses are paid,…

Former Cargill Manager Buys Dutch Cocoa Factory With Partners

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ABIDJAN (Capital Markets in Africa) – Pieter Schulting, a former manager at Cargill Incorporation, and two partners have bought Dutch cocoa processor Jan Schoemaker BV. A deal for the 94-year-old company, the last independent cocoa factory in the Netherlands, was signed in late September, according to Schulting. The partners, Daan Reitsma and Paul Silva da Cruz, are managers at Jan Schoemaker. He didn’t disclose the value of the deal. The new management is now operating the…

Ivory Coast Cocoa Farmers See Bumper Crop After Slow Start

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ABIDJAN (Capital Markets in Africa) – This year’s cocoa harvest in top producer Ivory Coast may be starting slowly, but farmers say volumes will catch up in a few months and are forecasting another big crop to follow last season’s record. Heavy rains in June and July caused flowers to fall off trees and while farmers have started reaping some pods, there are a lot fewer than this time last year, said Salam Pelega, the head…

Biggest Cocoa Growers Seek Larger Slice of Chocolate Profits

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ACCRA (Capital Markets in Africa) – The world’s biggest cocoa-growing nations in West Africa are targeting a larger slice of chocolate-making profits as most of the benefits of producing beans accrue outside their economies, Ghanaian President Nana Akufo-Addo said. Farmers in Ivory Coast and Ghana, the two countries which account for more than 60 percent of global cocoa output, earned the equivalent of 5.5 percent of a value chain that was worth more than $100 billion in 2015,…

Cameroon Seeks to Improve Cocoa Bean Quality After Declines

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YAOUNDE (Capital Markets in Africa) – Cameroon is taking steps to encourage farmers to grow better quality cocoa after a deterioration in last year’s crop resulted in lower prices for the country’s beans. About 90 percent of Cameroon’s cocoa exports in the season through July were classed as Grade 2, the second of three quality ratings for beans, according to Trade Minister Luc Magloire Atangana Mbarga. That compared with 97 percent previously and meant that Cameroonian…

Cameroon considers two-year IMF aid programme to drive growth

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YAOUNDE (Capital Markets in Africa) – Cameroon and the International Monetary Fund are considering a two-year aid programme for the Central African country to deliver sustained and inclusive economic growth. Leaders of the Central African bloc (CEMAC) agreed in December to engage with the IMF to find ways to overcome macroeconomic instability caused in part by lower global commodity prices, the IMF said in a statement. Cameroon, which produces oil, cocoa, and coffee and is the…

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