The Dutch Cooperation Agency (SNV) has established a cocoa processing plant to grind cocoa beans into chocolate paste, powder and cocoa butter for the 700 members of the cooperative producers in Konye, in the South West region, revealed good sources to Agence Ecofin

According to SNV, which previously trained members of the cooperative of producers in Konye, the processing unit should enable cocoa farmers in this part of Cameroon, to better appreciate the 600 tonnes of cocoa produced annually in this locality.

According to the Interprofessional Council of Cocoa and Coffee (CICC), which was launched last year the Transfol project is to assist producer cooperatives to establish cocoa processing units.

A kilogram of raw cocoa beans is sold at 1,500 CFA francs while two kilograms of processed beans (cocoa butter) sells at 10,000 CFA francs on the local market.

Through this gift to Konye cocoa farmers, the Netherlands, a country which is nevertheless the destination for 70% of the cocoa beans produced in Cameroon, according to official statistics, seeks to encourage local processing of this product.