(Business in Cameroon) – Cameroon has launched the distribution of cocoa quality bonuses for the 2020/2021 and 2021/2022 seasons, starting on August 25 in the Lekié and Mbam-et-Kim departments of the Central Region. A total of CFA348 million will be paid to growers in the two areas: CFA206 million for 55 producer organizations in Mbam-et-Kim, benefiting about 4,400 farmers, and CFA142 million for 39 groups in Lekié, reaching some 7,300 farmers.
At the launch in Ntui, Commerce Minister Luc Magloire Mbarga Atangana oversaw the payment of CFA50 million in bonuses to 140 cocoa farmers.
The quality bonus was introduced by the government after the 2016/2017 global cocoa market crisis. It rewards farmers who deliver top-grade “zero defect” beans (grade 1), unlike average-quality grade 2 beans.
According to farmer representative Jean Jules Raymond Ndiba, the bonus is funded through a CFA20 levy on each kilogram of grade 1 cocoa exported, which is then redistributed to producers. For example, a grower selling 100 kg of cocoa with 50 kg at grade 1 would receive CFA20 per kilogram of those premium beans as a bonus.
The Cocoa-Coffee Sector Development Fund (Fodecc) collects the levy, while the National Cocoa and Coffee Board (ONCC) handles distribution. In total, CFA1.7 billion in bonuses was collected for the 2020/2021 and 2021/2022 seasons. Cameroon produced 292 million kg of cocoa in 2020/2021 and 295 million kg in 2021/2022, ONCC figures show.
Authorities see the scheme as an incentive for farmers to meet international quality standards. ONCC estimates that 70% of national cocoa output is still grade 2.
In the coming days, the distribution caravan will move to other major cocoa basins, including Makenene, Bot-Makak, and the Southwest Region, where more than CFA400 million will be allocated to farmers.
