YAOUNDE, April 23 (Reuters) – Cameroon exported 3,207 tonnes of cocoa beans in March, bringing the total since the start of the 2013/14 season on August 1 to 143,374 tonnes, down from 193,298 tonnes for the same period the previous season, official figures showed on Wednesday.

The March total was also lower than 6,580 tonnes from February and 8,046 tonnes exported in the same month a year ago, according to data from the Cocoa and Coffee Inter-professional Board (CCIB).

Both CCIB and the National Cocoa and Coffee Board (NCCB) blamed the drop in exports on the weather but NCCB general manager Michael Ndoping said seasonal output should rise to around 235,000 tonnes. Due to the fall in production, there were only seven exporters in March from 17 in February. The Cameroon Marketing Commodities (CAMACO) led with 853 tonnes, followed by Ets Domo with 527 tonnes and Armajaro Cam Ltd with 351 tonnes. Cameroon’s cocoa season runs from August 1 to July 31, with the main crop harvest period from October to January/February and the light crop harvest from April/May to July.

The crop is grown mainly in four regions, with the centre and southwest each accounting for 40 percent of national output, the south 15 percent and the east 5 percent. Cultivation is also extending gradually to the northwest and west. National output hit a record of 240,000 tonnes in 2010/11 season before dropping to 220,000 tonnes in 2011/12 due to attacks by pests and diseases and a prolonged dry season. It rose to 228,948 tonnes in 2012/13.

By Tansa Musa