Maritime stakeholders are worried about the possible extended storage of coffee and cocoa in the port of Douala, which has been suffering a critical go-slow in import-export activities for the last nine months.

In a statement released after a crisis consultation held on 1 July, the Committee Facilitation of International Maritime Transport (FAL) said: "The extension of time to export generates an especially negative impact on the economy.

“Agricultural products (cocoa and coffee) prolonged stay in the port degrades their quality (increased acidity) and could accelerate the discount of coffee and cocoa in Cameroon on the international market, resulting in a decline in their value, which will affect the exporter and the planter."

In fact, according to statistics from the National Cocoa and Coffee Board (NCCB), Cameroon exported 146,685 tonnes of cocoa at the end of May 2014, that is to say, nine months after the launch of the current campaign in August 2013.

This corresponds to a decrease of more than 54 000 tonnes, compared to 200,915 tonnes exported in the same period during the previous year.

In regards to coffee at the end of May 2014, seven months after the opening of the marketing of Arabica, 883 tonnes were exported, against 1,199 tonnes in the same period in the last campaign, a decrease in exports of 316 tonnes.

Or the Robusta, the trend is also downward, because at the end of May 2014 exports of this variety were at 8087 tonnes since the beginning of the campaign on December 1, 2013, against 8,406 tonnes in the same period during the previous year.

Again, there is a decline in exports of more than 300 tonnes.

However, we learn from good sources, the decline in exports is not down to only the overall slowdown in the port of Douala, but also to the low production in general.