Cameroon robusta coffee exports up to 14,203 T by end September

Cameroon exported 14,203 tonnes of robusta coffee beans in the first 10 months of the 2012/13 season which began on December 1, less than half the 31,319 tonnes in the same period last season, the National Cocoa and Coffee Board (NCCB) said on Monday. The central African country shipped 687 tonnes of robusta coffee in September, down from 1,041 tonnes in August and sharply lower than the 2,858 tonnes in September 2012. It did not provide a reason for the fall. Cameroon exported 2,522 tonnes of arabica coffee during the 2012/13 growing season that began on October 1 last year, a slight increase from the 2,392 tonnes in the 2011/12 season. In September, Cameroon shipped only 10 tonnes of arabica coffee, a steep drop from 331 tonnes in August and 390 tonnes in September 2012. Cameroon is one of the few countries in Africa that grows both robusta and arabica coffee. The robusta season runs from December 1 to November 30, while the arabica season runs from October 1 to September 30. Bad roads in northern Cameroon and higher prices in neighbouring Nigeria have encouraged some farmers to take their produce across the border, growers say.