Step up Production

The recognition of the quality of Cameroonian coffee in an international competition like the one that  took place in Paris, France is surely a strong signal for the country. As Africa’s fourth producer of the crop, Cameroon, has for the past years witnessed a rather counter production results in terms of quantity. Coffee production dropped 27 per cent last year as the number of coffee cuttings fell short, but exports rose, according to the National Cocoa and Coffee Board.  Production for the 2014-15 season dropped to 23,866 tonnes from 32,808 tonnes the previous year, pulling the country further from its ambitious target of annual output of 160,000 tonnes by 2020. Of this, 21,846 tonnes were Robusta and 2,5 tonnes Arabica. Cameroon, it should be recalled, is one of the few African producers of Robusta and Arabica beans which is exported across the world, principally Germany, Belgium and Russia. China, Holland and Malaysia are equally making in-roots as new buyers.
The Paris competition where coffee produced under Cameroon’s Central Union of Agricultural Cooperative Societies of the West better known in French as « Union centrale des sociétés coopératives agricoles de l’Ouest-UCCAO », is an important trigger to step up production so that it meets up with quality. According to the General Manager of UCCAO, François Mefinja Foka, there were all together 21 countries involved in the competition presenting 160 processed different coffee species. UCCAO bagged two prizes, gold for « café Délices » and an honorary certificate for « café force 2 » approved by over 20 professional tasters.
The result from the Paris competition is an eye opener for UCCAO wh...