Speaking earlier, the Vice Prime minister, minister of Agriculture and Rural Development explained that the importance they attached to the cocoa sector was in line with President Paul Biya's instructions to revive the sector so as to boost production and improve on the living standards of the farmers. He said cocoa production had hit 200.000 tonnes in the previous seasons catapulting Cameroon to the fifth world-producing nation. Cocoa experts in the likes of Ngwe Appollinaire, president of the inter-professional cocoa and coffee Board (CICC) explained that the prices last season varied between CFA 850 and CFA 1,500 per Kilogramme. He said 20 exporters animated the market for 172,177,008 kilogrammes exported. Including the local consumption, the total production marketed in Cameroon last year stood at 190, 871132 Kg. Overall, 80 per cent was exported towards Holland and 5,36 percent of the produce was exported, to Malaysia. The General Manager of the Cocoa Board, Michael Ndoping, was worried that there was a drop in last year's production with highest prices registered in the Centre Region and the lowest in the East. The farmers present at the season's launch in Muyuka rejoiced that government had taken the engagement to better protect a sector that was their mainstay.

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