Yaounde, Feb, 24, 2009 - Cameroon's cocoa exports rose by 11.2 percent in the six months to January but the pace of exports fell as the world's fifth biggest grower's main crop tailed off, statistics from industry bodies showed on Monday.
The National Cocoa and Coffee Board (NCCB) and Cocoa and Coffee Interprofessional Board (CCIB) data showed Cameroon shipped 147,966 tonnes of cocoa between last August and January 2009, up from 133,071 tonnes in the same period a year earlier.
January's exports totalled 31,970 tonnes, down on December's 40,057 tonnes and also down from the 35,087 tonnes exported in January 2008.
"The drop in January's exports compared to December was to be expected, as the main crop harvest was coming to an end," said Gerard Ngubi, sub-director for statistics at the NCCB.
"We expect this trend to continue in February and till the end of the season, and hopefully the mid-crop harvest this year should be more bountiful than last year because of the unsual dry season we had," Ngubi said.
The central African country's cocoa season runs from August 1 to July 31, with the main crop harvested between November and February and the mid-crop harvest from late April to early July.
Cameroon exported 162,220 tonnes of cocoa beans out of total production of 187,355 tonnes in the 2007/08 season, up from 157,378 tonnes of exports from total production of 183,297 tonnes in the previous season.