Turkish agency builds facility for cocoa planters

By Ahmet Furkan Mercan

ANKARA (AA) - Turkey's state aid agency has built a state-of-the-art facility for cocoa planters in Cameroon's capital Yaounde, it said on Monday.

The Turkish Cooperation and Coordination Agency (TIKA) said in a statement it had built a fermentation and drying facility for the farmers aiming to help them process their products in hygienic conditions.

Nkoudou Jilbere Atouba, a Cameroonian farmer, said that his earnings had increased because of the facility.

According to the statement, in Cameroon more than 600,000 farmers harvest cocoa and 40 percent of the production came from Yaounde.

After TIKA built the facility, farmers reported that they have produced the best quality cocoa.

Cameroon's Cocoa Development Corporation (SODECAO) data shows the country processes about 300,000 tons of cocoa per year.