Coffee News
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Nigerian Cocoa Processors to Obtain Credit After Debts Repaid - 27/05/10
Cocoa processors in Nigeria expect to obtain new credit lines from banks after clearing part of their outstanding debts using government aid. Processors received a state grant aimed at boosting non-oil exports in the country according to the Cocoa Processors Association of Nigeria. The grant has relieved us of a lot of financial strain and will be used to finance new investment in increasing capacity.

Nigeria’s government is trying to diversify its economy and become less reliant on crude, which generates more than 90% of the nation’s export earnings. In January, the government announced a 21.5 billion-naira [US$141.4 million] export-expansion grant to be given to companies that export manufactured, non-oil goods. Cocoa grinders in Nigeria want the government to do more to help the industry, including improving access to European markets. Without this assistance, the processing industry in the country won’t grow.

According to the association Nigeria should sign an Economic Partnership Agreement with the European Union to increase access to that market. Without the pact, Nigerian processors pay a 4.5% duty on butter exports and 6.5% on cocoa cake, while shipments from Ghana and Ivory Coast aren’t subject to such tariffs. Nobody is asking for Nigerian butter in Europe, due to the ridiculous price which makes it more profitable to export raw cocoa than to process it.

The Cocoa Association of Nigeria, which groups producers, processors, traders and regulators, estimates that only 20% of the country’s cocoa is currently processed, with the remaining 80% exported as raw beans. Nigerian cocoa production ranks behind Ivory Coast, Ghana and Indonesia in terms of volume, according to the International Cocoa Organization. [BL 27/05/10]

IACO Secretary General Meets Ivorian President - 22/04/10
The Inter-African Coffee Organisation [IACO] held an audience with President Gbagbo to mark the 50th anniversary of the organisation. An event is scheduled on 06/12/10 in Abidjan at the institution's headquarters. The President has decided to set up a preparatory commission to be coordinated by the country's ambassador to the UN, Alcide Djedje assisted by the legal adviser for the presidency, Geraldine Brou. The commission will integrate the Ministers of Foreign Affairs, Commerce, Agriculture, Home Affairs, IACO Secretariat and the Management Committee of Cocoa Coffee. [APA 22/04/10]

Angolan Producers to Sell 951 Tonnes of Coffee to Procafé - 26/04/10
Coffee growers are expected to sell 951 tonnes of coffee to Procafé by June. The institution's general director, Romualdo Abel Traça Dias dos Santos estimated a spend of 59,218,125 million kwanzas, on beans from Uíge [435t], Kwanza Norte [339t], Kwanza Sul [129t] and Bengo Provinces [48t]. [APA 26/04/10]

Coffee Prices Gain on Forecast Output to Drop - 08/02/10
Coffee futures rose for the first time in 4-sessions on forecasts that global output will drop and demand will outpace supplies. World output will fall to 123.6 million bags in the crop year ending Sept. 30 from 128.2 million bags in the previous year according to the London-based International Coffee Organization. Demand will reach 130 million to 132 million bags. A bag weighs 60 kilograms [132 pounds].

Arabica-coffee futures for March delivery rose 1.85 cents, or 1.4%, to US$1.3065 a pound on ICE Futures U.S. in New York. The price dropped 4.6% in the previous 3-sessions. Production in Brazil, the world’s largest grower, may total 44 million bags this year, less than the Agriculture Ministry’s forecast for between 45.9 million bags and 48.7 million bags, as rainfall damages the crop, a government meteorologist said. Coffee has climbed 9.3% in the past year as adverse weather damaged crops in Brazil and Colombia. [BL 08/02/10]

Ghana To Host International Coffee Forum - 17/11/09
Ghana is to host the 49th Annual General Assembly [AGA] of the International African Coffee Organisation [IACO www.ico.org] from 23-27/11/09. The Assembly, which coincides with the 8th General Meeting of the African Coffee Research Netwowk [ACRN], the research wing of IACO, will serve as a platform to discuss and exchange information between its members on the challenges to the growth of the coffee industry on the continent. It is also aimed at offering IACO member countries the opportunity to discuss activities of the ACRN. On the sidelines of the AGA, a workshop on coffee statistics aimed at building capacity of countries to enable them improve on their compliance of the statistical rules of the International Coffee Organization will be held.

A training session on the evaluation of gourmet Robusta coffee quality will be organised for selected trainees from at least 4- Robusta producing member countries including Ghana to build their capacity in coffee liquoring and assessment of the grade and quality of Robusta coffee for the gourmet market. Africa currently produces about 12% of coffee globally. The AGA is to be used as a launch-pad to revamp Africa’s coffee industry to realize the full potential of the sector. Ghana indicated that with the necessary support, revenue from coffee could be substantially increased to supplement government's revenue from other sources to aid its development agenda. Ghana earned US$1.3 million and US$2.8 million from coffee exports in 2007 and 2008 respectively. COCOBOD is to take advantage of the programme to encourage coffee farmers in Ghana to increase production, promote the consumption of the commodity locally and institute measures to add value to coffee for export to emerging markets. [GNA 17/11/09]

Ghana & Gabon Obtain Full ICO Membership Status - 20/08/09
Ghana and Gabon have officially become full members of the International Coffee Organisation [ICO] at a ceremony at the Head Quarters of the organisation in London. With this status, they have joined India, Indonesia, Nicaragua, Panama, Papua New Guinea and Thailand in accepting full membership into the ICO. This brings the total number of coffee export members of the organisation to 45. The International Coffee Organization [ICO] is the main intergovernmental organization for coffee, bringing together producing and consuming countries to tackle the challenges facing the world coffee sector through international cooperation. It makes a practical contribution to the world coffee economy and to improving standards of living in developing countries.

Ghana from now on, will also be part of coffee exporting countries that participate and benefit from coffee development projects, which currently totaling US$85 million. It will also enjoy practical assistance by the ICO to the world coffee economy, which ensures sustainable development and poverty reduction in coffee-producing developing countries. Ghana reached its highest coffee production level in 1997/1998 with an export of 10,000 metric tonnes but there has been a gradual decline in exports due to the slump in world market prices and poor pricing policy. Plans are afoot to provide an enabling environment for farmers to help revamp the industry. The ICO announced that Ghana will host its next general assembly in November 2009. [GNA 20/08/09]

Angola To Relaunch Robusta Coffee Production/Roasting - 24/07/09
Angola has been urged by the Inter African Coffee Organisation/Organisation InterAfricaine du Café [IACO/OIAC - www.iaco-oiac.org] to take advantage of the shortage of robusta coffee in the world market and to relaunch the country’s production. IACO’s secretary general, Josefa Correia Sacko released results of a pilot project to rehabilitate coffee production in central Kwanza Sul province. This project will act as a model for coffee production in provinces of Kwanza Norte, Bengo and Uíge. Sacko also noted Angola should encourage the national business community to develop coffee-roasting to supply the markets of Central Africa and Austria. [ANGOP 11& 24/07/09]

Angola: Coffee To Become Important In Diversification Of Economy - 21/05/09
The minister of Agriculture, Afonso Canga, has announced that coffee will become a significant element among Angola’s exports as well as a pillar in the diversification of the economy. Canga was speaking at the opening of the workshop on scientific research and development of the coffee sector in Uige under the motto "Angola, towards recovery of coffee culture". Canga also noted the need to promote the work of the National Institute of Coffee [INCA] to enhance national production. [ANGOP 21/05/09]

Cameroon 08-09 Robusta, Arabica Output To Reach 50,000 Tons - 11/05/09
Robusta and Arabica coffee output for the ongoing 2008-09 season is expected to climb to 50,000 metric tons according to the National Cocoa and Coffee Board [NCCB]. Managing Director of the board, Michael Ndoping, spoke after holding a 2-day meeting with stakeholders of the coffee sector, in which Cameroon government officials discussed new ways of increasing the country's coffee output. Cameroon is in the middle of the coffee season, and with the current weather situation, is confident to hit this output. Cameroon produced 30,044 tons of robusta in the 2007-08 season, and 5,198 tons of Arabica in the 2007-08 season. [DJ 11/05/09]

Cameroon Government Consulting On Ways To Lift Robusta Output - 11/05/09
The Cameroon government and industry stakeholders are seeking strategies to lift robusta coffee output to 65,000 metric tons by 2015. Two promotional meetings have been held in Bafoussam and Douala with key players in the sector. The NCCB is working in synergy with the government to produce and provide robusta coffee seedlings to farmers, as well as reduce prices for inputs, to enable farmers to open new coffee farms, and/or revamp old ones to raise robusta coffee production.

Cameroon has witnessed a dive in robusta production since the government liberalized the sector. With falling world prices, farmers destroyed their coffee crops in the 1990s, switching to food crop cultivation.
Now that prices have kept a steady rise at the world markets the NCCB is encouraging farmers to resume coffee cultivation. The new project will begin by the end of this coffee season, which runs from December to November. [DJ 11/05/09]

Coffee Production May Be Doubled In Cameroon - 20/03/09
Cameroon is aiming to double its coffee production in the next few years. At its peak during the 1960s, According to Michael Ndoping, general manager of the National Cocoa and Coffee Board, Cameroon produced 120,000 tonnes of coffee each year but that level has fallen to around 40,000 tonnes today. “ By 2013, we want it to be at 80,000 tonnes”. [PL 20/03/09]

Cameroon Coffee Output Down By A Third - 06/01/09
Cameroon produced a third less coffee last season as older farmers, a shortage of workers and generally substandard soil quality affected output. Michael Ndoping, general manager of the National Cocoa and Coffee Board, said total output declined to 35,242 tonnes in the 2007/08 season, down from 51,876 tonnes in the previous crop year. Robusta production dropped 36% to 30,044 tonnes but the arabica crop was up 10% to 5,198 tonnes.

Mr Ndoping attributed the overall drop in output to aging farms, labour shortages and poor soil quality, adding that Cameroon was struggling to attract young farmers to the sector. "Since coffee growing is labour intensive, this has seriously affected production. In spite of the government's effort to reduce the charges of inputs, they remain relatively expensive for farmers."

Cameroon is Africa's fifth biggest producer of coffee and around 41% of the country's robusta is exported to top buyer Italy, with 66% of the arabica crop heading to Germany. [PL 06/01/09]

Companies Interested In Buying Coffee Must Apply For Licence-COCOBOD - 27/01/09
The Ghana Cocoa Board [COCOBOD] has requested that companies interested in the purchase of coffee must apply to the Board for licence. COCOBOD’s mandate is to regulate the coffee industry and warned that it would take legal action against companies found to be engaged in the purchase of coffee without licence. There are currently 5-Licensed-Buying Companies [LBC’s]: De Long Limited; Kassardjan Industries [Ghana] Limited; Lonto Limited; Mamita Coffee Product Limited; and Time Marketing Company Limited. [GNA 27/01/09]

Angola To Invest US$150 Million To Revive Coffee - 13/01/09
Angola, once a top coffee producer, will invest US$150 million in 4-years to relaunch its coffee sector as world market prices gradually recover from recent lows. Angola, which exports less than 5% of its 1970s record of 200,000 tonnes of coffee per year once was the fourth largest producer of coffee in the world. Now it expects output to increase to 50,000 tonnes a year by 2013 on the back of a plan to train farmers and modernise coffee plants across the nation.

"We will train coffee producers, provide them with vehicles, modern roasting and grinding machines and other tools to help revive Angola's once prosperous coffee sector," Joao Neto, the head of Angola's Coffee Institute.

Angola’s coffee fields were mainly destroyed or abandoned during a 27-year civil. Coffee farms were gradually replaced with basic food crops like cassava and maize. Angolans are now realizing the sector's strong potential for growth and high profit margins. Three years ago there was one coffee exporter in Angola, today there are seven.

A global coffee shortfall is seen in 2009/10 with output in No.1 producer Brazil set to fall and demand expected to hold up despite the economic downturn. Angola is expected to export around 17,000 tonnes of coffee in 2009, up from 12,000 in the previous year. Neto predicted a rise in coffee exports of around 30% a year would soon turn Angola into one of the world's top coffee producers. "If we export 50,000 tonnes of coffee by 2013, pretty soon we will reach 200,000 tonnes. That is roughly the same amount we were exporting towards the end of colonial era." [RT 13/01/09]

Ivory Coast 08/09 Coffee Crop Seen Up At 150,000 T - 21/11/08
Ivory Coast's 2008/09 coffee crop will be bigger than last season's as plants benefit from wetter weather. Ivory Coast, Africa's third largest coffee producer after Ethiopia and Uganda, registered 107,735 tonnes of robusta coffee for export in the 2007/08 season which finished in September, according the Coffee and Cocoa Bourse. 150,000 tonnes is expected this season as a result of well-timed rainfall. In the western region of Man, which produces the bulk of Ivory Coast's coffee, farmers said growing conditions were good, and the harvest would be greater than last season. [RT 21/11/08]

Angola: Over 110 Tons of Coffee Harvested - 29/10/08
About 115 tons of coffee were harvested in the current agricultural season in the northern Cabinda Province, mainly from Buco Zau District and Tando Zinze. Coffee growers had benefited from a micro credit granted by the National Coffee Institute [INCA], in order to boost the production of this product in the region. [APA 29/10/08]

ICO Raises Estimate For 2008/09 World Coffee Production - 12/09/08
Global coffee production in 2008/09 is now expected to reach about 131m bags, up from a previous estimate of 128m bags according to the International Coffee Organisation. [PL 12/09/08]