Cameroon Cocoa Output : New Study Puts Average Hectare Yield At 700 kg

Rainforest Alliance Cameroon in 2022 commissioned a study on cocoa output in the major production zones of the country. According to Yannick Cyrille Mboba, the Officer in Charge of Rainforest Alliance Certification for Central Africa, the survey was necessitated by the scarcity of data on the subject. A workshop was organised in Yaounde on Tuesday, January 31, 2023 to present the results of the study to stakeholders. Including producers, representatives of the National Cocoa and Coffee Board and cocoa industries. 

Paucity Of Data
“Many of our certificate holders face difficulties carrying out evaluation of their members’ production. Good production is based on output. The last data on cocoa output in Cameroon dates back to the 1980s. It was still being used until this day! It puts production per hectare at 400 kg. This has created huge problems for Rainforest Alliance certification holders because their production is often underestimated. We therefore contracted a consultancy firm to carry out a study on cocoa productivity in the major production areas of Cameroon. The aim is to determine the level of output per hectare of cocoa farm in these different production areas,” explained Cyrille Mboba.

Geographical Coverage Of Study 
“We visited five regions – the Centre (Mbam and Kim, Mbam and Inoubou, Lekie and Nyong and So’o and Nyong and Kelle Divisions); South (Dja and Lobo and Mvila Divisions); East (Boumba and Ngoko Division); West (Nde, Upper Nkam and Menoua Divisions), and the Littoral (Moungo Division)," explained Gael Meko, a Tropical Agricultural Engineer and soil scientist with Meo-Camsult consultancy that carried out the study.

Startling Findings!
“The National Cocoa/Coffee Relaunch Plan of 2014 talked of 600 kg of cocoa per hectare. But our study produced different results per major production area. In Mbam and Kim Division, farmers were able to get an output of 1,200 kg of cocoa beans per hectare! In Mbam and Inoubou Division, output per hectare was 1,000 kg; just like in Lekie Division,” Meko noted.

Weak Output Zones
The South Region, according to the study, had the lowest output, ranging from 400 kg-500 kg per hectare. In the Littoral Region, output per hectare stood at about 700 kg. In the East Region, it was between 600 kg and 700 kg per hectare. In the West Region (Tonga in Nde Division), output was 900 kg per hectare. “All this gives a national average of about 700 kg of marketable cocoa beans per hectare,” Gael disclosed.   

Understanding The Findings      
He pointed out that the varying outputs were explained by a number of factors. “Output is a combination of the total land area and the number of cocoa trees planted there. Some cocoa producers are unable to tell the exact sizes of their farms. If a farmer claims their farm is a hectare big, and the reality is different, then any output figures will be based on wrong data,” Gael clarified. 
“The second error is the number of cocoa trees per hectare. If there are dead trees that have not been replaced, it reduces total output. To get the right results, a hectare of cocoa farm must contain at least 1,000 cocoa trees well taken care of. If this is the case in Mbam and Kim, and Mbam and Inoubou Divisions, you could get an output of two tonnes or 2,000 kg of cocoa per hectare!” Meko said with assurance. 

Recommendations Of The Study
Meko went on: “We recommended that producers must know the exact surface areas of their farms, and should adopt an integrated approach to tackling farm problems. In counting the number of cocoa pods, it must be noted that infected pods do not produce the same yields as healthy ones. Similarly, farms must be cleared at least two times a year. There are areas where cocoa farming is a trade, and others where it is just a way of life.”

Who Will Use Findings?
Gael Meko said the results could enable the authorities to better plan production and put in place the right conditions for increasing productivity. This will help the authorities to know what production to expect from each major cocoa production zone. And then evaluate how much foreign exchange the country can earn per year from cocoa exports. 

Need For Complementary Data
“However,” Meko warned, “the findings are not permanent. Cocoa production is linked to the environment, seasons (if there has been enough rainfall or not). The results offer an idea that needs to be evaluated each year. Without data on the climate, it is difficult to rightly estimate cocoa production. During our study, we could not get climate data for the past 10 years. The most we could get was data for the past two years! And not on all the major production zones selected for the study,” Gael said.  

Rainforest Cocoa Certification 
On cocoa certification, Yannick Cyrille Mboba said it had several stakes – marketing, the real potentials of agro-industries, the actual output of production areas, and potential investors knowing the output of different production zones. “The results are important for planning a certification project. They will also help in the traceability of Cameroon cocoa...