Mamfe mayor alleges cocoa sector taken hostage by dangerous cartel.

The flourishing black market in cocoa sector, which has left state authorities restless, the mayor disclosed, has been taken hostage by a dangerous cartel; purportedly working in complicity with local authorities and gangs of armed separatist fighters said to benefitting hugely from the illegal practice. 

The municipal authority made the disturbing revelations Sunday July 2, in an interview he granted CRTV’s flagship Sunday magazine programme, Cameroon Calling.

“There is a cartel of people who have put up themselves in the name of economic operators,” the mayor cried out. He said these clandestine cocoa exporters are managing the sector with impunity to the detriment of the population of Manyu Division. 

“…if you don’t belong to this cartel, your cocoa beans will be ceased by them and sold. The population is really tight down because they are not free to do cocoa business…,” he added.  

Local authorities accused of complicity 

Successfully combatting illicit cocoa export, Mayor Tabenchong said, remains challenging as those making huge profits out of it have reportedly infiltrated state authorities who are rather supposed to check and curb the illegal practice. 

“Those who are supposed to protect the interest of the state are making some silent advantages out of it,” he regretted, adding that this group of people now see officials of the council as “betraying their interest”.

He was however categorical that: “As a mayor who owes the population the mandate and a lot of explanation at the end of his mandate, I must stand very firm,” especially knowing how much the “population, the municipality and the division are losing to illicit exportation of cocoa”.

The mayor said the decision of the Minister of Trade, banning the exportation of cocoa to Nigeria, “is not enough because that communiqué needs to be enforced by those on the field”.

“80 per cent of them are not willing to stop the illegal exploitation of cocoa to Nigeria. I am appealing to the Minister of Trade that it will not be very successful if he leaves it at the level of the communiqué. I am appealing that he should go further than that,” he added. 

Illicit exporters empowering Amba activities 

Another major hiccup to ending illicit cocoa exportation, the municipal authority disclosed, is the behind-the-scenes deals between those in the practice and separatist fighters operating in the Division in particular and the Region as a whole. 

“…these guys transporting cocoa to Nigeria illicitly, you will never hear that secessionists have impounded their crops. That is because they are on very good terms with them,” the mayor declared.  

“Paying off their way to Nigeria” in order to continue exporting cocoa illicitly, the mayor stated categorically, is a means of “empowering the secessionists” to continue wreaking havoc on the innocent population. 

“That is why you see in Manyu Division, we have no rest there because these guys [Amba fighters] have the means to purchase ammunition and coming back to us to burn down our houses and to kidnap our population for ransom," he stated. 

Porous borders not helping 

The mayor also said stopping illicit cocoa exportation might appear to also be an uphill task due to the country’s porous borders with neighbouring Nigeria. 

“We have porous borders and we cannot guarantee 100% that we can stop the illicit exportation of cocoa because of the villages that are very close to Nigeria,” he said.
“Every village is linked to Nigeria and the borders of Nigeria to the Division are so porous,” the mayor added, noting that separatist fighters are also “struggling to negotiate at their level to see how cocoa beans will be transported via the river to Nigeria”. 

State losing 30 billion annually 

Harping further on the gravity of the situation on the ground, Mayor Tabenchong, disclosed that in Mamfe, illegal exploitation of cocoa to Nigeria is between 80 to 100 thousand tonnes per year. 

This, he added, accounts for “close to 30 billion FCFA the state is losing, the council as well as the population”. He disclosed that 60 per cent of the cocoa beans exported illegally to Nigeria is from Manyu, while 40 per cent of it comes from other parts of the Region and the rest of the country. 

He said illicit cocoa export has further dwindled council funds as revenues are not being collected as it would have been the case.  “…without collecting local revenues, we cannot develop our municipality,” Mayor Tabenchong lamented. 

Discouraging prices back

The prices paid by buyers back home, the mayor stated, is too discouraging, compared to the attractive offers made by buyers from Nigeria. 

“The price that the farmers sell their cocoa beans in Eshobi village is far better than those who are selling cocoa beans in Douala,” he regretted, adding that farmers prefer to sell their cocoa beans to the middle men in order to make an additional profit”.

With bad roads in many villages in the Division, the mayor said many farmers will readily accept selling to Nigerian middlemen who come right to their door-steps to buy than stress taking it to Cameroonian buyers through deplorable roads. 

Efforts by Mamfe council to fight illicit cocoa export 

The mayor said the council continues to preach to the population to steer clear of Nigerian buyers and sell to legal buyers in the country who pay taxes to councils.

He said the council is also collaborating with the National Cocoa and Coffee Board and has trained some council staff to track illicit exportation.

Proposal on way out 

As a way out to the situation that has left Yaounde edgy, the mayor is suggesting that government should consider allowing about 20-30 thousand tons of cocoa to be legally exploited to Nigeria while the rest is sold to those authorised in the country. 

This, he said, will reduce the scramble for Cameroonian cocoa by Nigerian middlemen who are willing to pay any amount. 

He however thanked the Customs Department for their collaboration in fight to curb illicit trade. He expressed optimism the situation on the illicit trade could change for better if there is more support from the forces of law and order.

He said as a long term solution, SOWEDA is struggling to rehabilitate the Cafeco that had existed in Mamfe to boost local processing of cocoa. 

He said in the South West Region, Manyu Division comes second after Meme and is among the first five nationwide when it comes to cocoa production. He appealed for the support of the population to enable the council to fight illicit trade for their good.

Recently, at least eight trucks-load of cocoa, which was about to be exported clandestinely to Nigeria was impounded by customs officers.