Cameroon blames coffee export drop on Arab turmoil

Reuters, Saturday 10 Dec 2011

Exports to North Africa drop a third on last year, with officials laying blame on region's political upheaval

Robusta coffee exports from Cameroon fell nearly 33 per cent last season, the National Cocoa and Coffee Board said, blaming the effects of turmoil in North Africa.

Some 30,194 tonnes were shipped from the central African state during the December-to-November 2010-11 season, compared to 44,966 tonnes the previous year, it said in a release issued late on Thursday.

"Volumes headed to other African countries, primarily the countries of the Maghreb, have fallen considerably. The political situations and social crises were at the root of this decline," it said.

Uprisings toppled the governments Tunisia, Libya and Egypt, and protests raged in other North African countries this year. Detailed information on the main buyers of Cameroon's coffee exports were not available.

Total robust production in the country was 31,840 tonnes, down from 53,299 tonnes last season, the NCCB said.

Output in 2011-12 will "shoot up", NCCB general manager Michael Ndoping told Reuters on Friday, but he did not give a detailed forecast.

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