Cocoa, Coffee Production: New Equipment To Boost Capacity

Some specialised digital laboratory equipment was on May 22 donated to the National Cocoa and Coffee board (NCCB). The gesture is aimed at strengthening the competitiveness of Cameroon’s cocoa and coffee on international markets. Some of the equipment included programmable coffee roaster, computer laptop software, programmable coffee grinder, professional roast/particle, coffee/cocoa beans sample tray, didactic table/chairs, Tefal coffee filter machine just to name a few. The gesture is part of the Promoting International Competitiveness and Sustainability of Cameroonian Products through Advancing Technologies (PICS) led by UNIDO and financed by the government of Japan was aimed at promoting competitiveness of Cameroonian Cocoa and Coffee products on the International market. While receiving the equipment, the General Manager of the NCCB, Michael Ndoping explained that the new tools will allow scientific teams to carry out advanced analyses focused on key quality indicators, including the aromatic characteristics of coffee beans. He mentioned that the equipment will help determine differences between coffee produced even in very close geographical areas showing that quality varies not only by variety, but also by origin. “This is a fantastic opportunity for us,” the General Manager said, emphasizing that the equipment will place the laboratory at the forefront of efforts to improve quality for multiple markets. The handing of the equipment preceded a training component designed to ensure that laboratory staff can apply a formal quality approach consistent with recognized stand...