Cocoa prices in free-fall, Farmers get cocoa dryers to improve quality

By DANIELA NEBA NGUM Cocoa prices in Cameroon’s chief-producing regions are down by over 18%. Prices ranged between FCFA 690 and FCFA705 per kilogram of cocoa beans in The South West region this week. That was down by 18.7% from last week’s FCFA800/kg to FCFA915/kg. Farmgate prices have fallen for nearly a month, having been boosted earlier in 2017 by interest from Nigerian traders. The crossover trade pushed prices as high as FCFA1,400/kg. Favorable weather has boasted harvests in the South West region, which accounts for over 40% of the country’s production, according to official figures. A total of 98…