ERHC Energy Inc (ERHE)

[RubyMartin]

Sao Tome and Principe: Cocoa is Sao Tome’s main export in first quarter of 2008 [ 2008-06-16 ]


Sao Tome, Sao Tome and Principe, 16 June – Sao Tome and Principe netted some US$463,000 from cocoa exports in the first quarter of 2008, which accounted for 97.8 percent of the country’s exports in the period, according to the archipelago’s National Statistics Institute (INE).

According to INE, cocoa exports saw a year on year increase of 0.9 percent between January and March of 2008, when considering nominal values in dobras, the Sao Tome currency.

INE added that growth in value of cocoa exports (97.8 percent in the first quarter of 2008, against 97.1 percent in the same period of 2007) was due to the improved international price of the product.

In terms of quantity, there was a fall of 19 percent in the period with cocoa exports falling by 466 tons in 2007 to 283 in the first quarter of this year.

As well as cocoa, Sao Tome also exported coconut.

The list of buyers of Sao Tome cocoa in the period was headed by the Netherlands, which purchased US$185,000, followed by Portugal, with US$133,000 in the period.

The main exporters of cocoa on the Sao Tome and Principe archipelago are companies Agricom from the Agua-Izé plantation, in the south of Sao Tome, Sodeap, C.G.I, Bela Vista and Secabe. (macauhub)