Farmgate cocoa prices in Cameroon, Africa's fourth largest grower, dropped sharply in April as heavy rains meant a slow start to the mid-crop harvest that kept buyers away, farmers said on Wednesday.

Emmanuel Nnogo Akolo, a cooperative union leader at Emana in the Centre Region, said prices there had fallen to 1,250 CFA francs per kg from 1,435 CFA the previous month.

Cameroon's Centre and South-West regions account for 40 percent each of its cocoa output, the South 15 percent and the East 5 percent.

"Because of the few beans on the market, the number of buyers has also gone down and the few growers without large quantities of beans who are much in need of money ... are obliged to reduce the prices," Nnogo Akolo said by telephone
from Emana, some 70 km north of the capital Yaounde.
"Despite this sharp fall, the prices are still much better than in previous years."

Cameroon's cocoa season runs from Aug. 1 to July 31. The main harvest period runs from October to January/February and the light crop harvest period from April/May to June/July.

Below are the average farmgate prices in CFA francs per kg
recorded across the growing regions in mid-April:

Region District April March

South-West:
Mamfe 975 1,200

Konye 1,210 1,415

Mbonge 1,200 1,405

Muyuka 1,215 1,415

Kumba 1,250 1,420

Centre:
Bafia 1,300 1,450

Emana 1,250 1,435

Mbalmayo 1,230 1,435

South:
Ebolowa 1,200 1,415

Sangmelima 1,225 1,420
East:
Bertoua 850 1,100

Yokadouma 800 1,065