Cameroon Cocoa and Coffee Information Plan Launched
Posted by Labels: Africa, cameroon, Cocoa, Coffee, unctad, yaondeSource Reuters -3 June 2009
Yaounde, June 2 - Cocoa and coffee farmers in Cameroon will soon benefit from a modern market information system aimed at making the industry more profitable for farmers who now face middlemen taking a large share, officials said.
The Infoshare system, initially planned in 2005 but launched late last week, will relay data on production, quality and international as well as local prices to farmers using the internet, mobile phones and local radio stations.
These people buy produce from growers at very low prices and sell to exporters five times higher, " said Michael Ndoping, general manager of
The Infoshare system aims to build a network of some 65 community and rural radio stations broadcasting in a range of local dialects across
"In this way, we believe cocoa and coffee farmers will earn more money which will encourage them to produce so as to continue to make and more money," Ndoping said.
Initial estimates by the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD), which has helped develop the scheme, estimated that greater market transparency would enable small-scale farmers to increase their returns by 10-15 percent.
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"If good results are obtained here, the project will be replicated in other (central African) countries, and why not,
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