VOA标准英语2011--Cameroon: Cocoa Growers Profit from Ivor

（单词翻译）

In recent months, cocoa growers in Cameroon have been happy.Prices for their crop have reached an all-time high of 1,400 FCFA [about US $3] per kilogram. That's about double the high reached three years ago.
Officials at Cameroon's National Cocoa and Coffee Board attribute the price spike¹ partly to the protracted² political impasse³ in the world's top producer, Ivory Coast. The country accounts for 40 percent of global production. It's been plunged⁴ into a quagmire⁵ since November following contested presidential election results.
Cocoa pods
Mr. Gbagbo is under increasingly severe international pressure to cede⁶ power to Mr. Ouattara, widely considered to be the winner. European Union sanctions aimed at forcing Mr. Gbagbo to hand over power are now threatening cocoa shipments from Ivory Coast, which produces a yearly average of 1.3 million tons.
Michael Ndoping, managing director of the Cameroon Cocoa and Coffee Board, says although prices are generally determined⁷ by supply and demand, commodities are rising because of speculation⁸ about the effect of the political crisis on Ivoirian farmers.
"We're mixing two things. We're talking politics, we're talking business. Like you would know, the Ivory Coast is the No. 1 producer of cocoa in the world. So anything that happens in Cote d'Ivoire invariably has an impact on the market. We've noticed since August that prices have been sustained. We think that the crisis in Cote d'Ivoire has an impact. So that could account for the sustainable prices we've noticed for the last six months," Ndoping says.
Experts predict the soaring prices will go through the roof if the standoff degenerates⁹ into warfare¹⁰, impeding¹¹ Ivorian exports. Meantime, producing countries are preparing to take advantage of the situation as anxiety steadily¹² grows among chocolate manufacturers in the West.
Bags of cocoa for export
In Ghana, the world's second largest producer, officials are even pondering ways to reposition the country as the world's leading producer if Ivorian exports are eventually disrupted. Ivory Coast's cocoa production overtook Ghana's in 1978.
In Cameroon, renewed efforts at reviving the sector¹³ have been paying off. Production rose to 205,000 tons in the 2008/09 season and Ndoping says halfway¹⁴ into the current season, prospects¹⁵ are even brighter.
"We launched the season in August. As of today, we've exported 174,000 tons and that to us is a very big jump because last year at this period, we were at 134,000 tons. So there's a difference of almost 40,000 tons and that's a remarkable¹⁶ increase and so we can say the sector is doing very well. By the end of July, we should surpass 200,000 tons," Ndoping explains.
The steadily rising prices are encouraging farmers to revive and expand abandoned plantations¹⁷.
Growth in production of cocoa in Cameroon stalled in the late 1980s as world market prices slumped¹⁸ and high export taxes forced farmers to switch to staple¹⁹ crops like grain.
But since 2005, a combination of efforts has culminated²⁰ in rekindled²¹ interest in cocoa. Export taxes have been scrapped²², and farmers are benefitting from several programs providing high-yielding seedlings²³ for free or at subsidized rates.
The programs have also sponsored access to inputs²⁴ such as fertilizer and pesticides²⁵. This year some five million plants are expected to be distributed, and an additional 4,000 hectares of cocoa plantations will be created.
Cristel Pound, a grower in the country's South Region says the Ivorian situation presents a golden opportunity to improve quality and quantity.
" At the moment, weather conditions are favorable. There is low rainfall, which favors production and ample sunshine, which encourages fermentation and also allows us to dry our beans for longer periods. We've also noticed few cases of blackpod disease. That implies we can improve both our quantity and quality in a very short time. The decision-makers should now play their role," Pound says.
Across Cameroon, farmers like Pound say the country's infrastructure²⁶ is a major drawback to rapid growth in cocoa, and all agricultural production. Poor transport links make it difficult and costly²⁷ for farmers to get their products to market.
But the government says it is gradually building new roads to make production areas more accessible. It also says it's setting up conservation units and processing plants and giving growers groups market information and best farming techniques.
It has also waged war against middlemen accused of not maintaining standards. Some convince cash-strapped farmers to sell them insufficiently-dried and fermented²⁸ cocoa beans, which they then sell to exporters. They're also accused of not giving farmers a fair price for their goods.
The government support package also includes duty exemptions²⁹ on inputs like improved seeds and pesticides.
Many farmers groups have launched calls for the government to quickly disburse³⁰ large subsidies³¹ while the Ivorian deadlock³² lasts. They say the crisis should serve as a motivation for them to increase production.