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INSIDE THIS ISSE: ICCO DAILY COCOA PRICES LONDON (LIFFE) FUTURES

MARKET UPDATE NEW YORK (ICE) FUTURES

MARKET UPDATE FROM THE NEWS MEDIA TIT BITS

1.

COPAL COCOACOPAL COCOA InfoInfo

A Weekly Newsletter of Cocoa Producers' Alliance

Health and Nutrition Cocoa compounds show joint health potential

Production and Quality Ghana’s Cocoa Production hits 1 million metric

tones Davao City wants to be PH's top cocoa producer Ageing growers leave Nigeria with cocoa headache

The Market SOFTS-Sugar, coffee, cocoa bounce with shares Commodities up on hopes for euro debt solution,

US data Eurozone move lifts sugar, coffee, cocoa

Processing & Manufacturing CAMPCO to introduce three more chocolates soon

‘CHOCOLATE: AROUND THE WORLD’

Labour Issues

Environmental Issue

Research & Development Ministry Urges More Cocoa R&D

Promotion & Consumption Artisan creamery offers cocoa, cookie, herb and

fruit cheeses

Others

Do your health a favour, drink Cocoa everyday

‘It’s nature’s miracle food’UP-COMING EVENTSUP-COMING EVENTS IN THISIN THIS

Issue No. 460 3rd – 7th October, 2011

Business & Economy Cocoa to continue to be Ghana’s main foreign

exchange earner

In the News (from Newspapers worldwide)

ICCO Daily Cocoa PricesICCO Daily Price

(SDR/tonne)ICCO Daily price

($US/tonne)London futures

(£/tonne)New York futures

($US/tonne)

3rd October 1685.01 2620.27 1712.33 2595.33

4th October 1707.85 2640.51 1728.67 2622.33

5th October 1711.49 2660.35 1739.33 2641.00

6th October 1733.86 2695.09 1759.00 2686.33

7th October 1732.01 2699.35 1741.67 2681.00

Average 1714.00 2663.00 1736.00 2645.00

COCOA PRODUCERS’ ALLIANCE, NATIONAL ASSEMBLY COMPLEX TAFAWA BALEWA SQUARE, P.O. BOX 1718, LAGOS, NIGERIA. TEL: +234(0)1-263-5574 FAX: +234(0)1-263-5684

Email: [email protected] Website: www.copal-cpa.org2

mailto:[email protected]

International Financial Futures and Options Exchange (LIFFE)London Futures Market – Summary of Trading Activities

(£ per tone)

Monday 3rd October 2011 Month Opening Trans Settle Change Daily High Daily Low Volume

Dec 2011 1705 1687 -12 1707S 1677 5,797Mar 2012 1734 1717 -11 1735 1707 2,173May 2012 1751 1733 -13 1752 1724 1,073Jul 2012 1757 1750 -13 1758S 1742S 97Sep-12 1772 1763 -14 1773S 1757 119

Dec 2012 1790 1778 -17 1790S 1780S 115Mar 2013 1793 -17 0May 2013 1801 -17 0Jul 2013 1795 -22 0Sep 2013 1795 -22 0

Average/Totals 1869 9,374

Tuesday 4th October 2011 Month Opening Trans Settle Change Daily High Daily Low Volume

Dec 2011 1680 1706 19 1718S 1674 7,958Mar 2012 1707 1732 15 1744 1703 3,952May 2012 1725 1748 15 1760S 1719 1,346Jul 2012 1738 1764 14 1770S 1737 71Sep-12 1750 1778 15 1790 1749 116

Dec 2012 1773 1794 16 1773S 1767S 8Mar 2013 1809 16 0May 2013 1817 16 0Jul 2013 1810 15 0Sep 2013 1810 15 0


Wednesday 5th October 2011 Month Opening Trans Settle Change High Low Volume

Dec 2011 1722 1717 11 1732 1711 4,400Mar 2012 1747 1743 11 1756 1735 3,722May 2012 1763 1758 10 1773S 1752 1,280Jul 2012 1770 1773 9 1784 1770 473Sep-12 1785 1786 8 1802 1784 324

Dec 2012 1804 1802 8 1812S 1803S 193Mar 2013 1822 1815 6 1830S 1817 22May 2013 1826 1822 5 1826 1826 2Jul 2013 1811 1 0Sep 2013 1811 1 0




http://www.nybot.com/reports/dmrs/etsDMRs/dmrFutures.asp?dmrMonth=04&dmrDay=11&dmrYear=2007&commodityID=1&commodityType=future






Thursday 6th October 2011 Month Opening Trans Settle Change High Low Volume

Dec 2011 1730 1735 18 1745S 1715 8,479Mar 2012 1755 1763 20 1769S 1743 6,429May 2012 1765 1779 21 1786S 1759 2,441Jul 2012 1795 1795 22 1801S 1776 564Sep-12 1790 1807 21 1815S 1790 623

Dec 2012 1810 1823 21 1829S 1810 255Mar 2013 1838 1835 20 1838S 1823S 25May 2013 1844 22 0Jul 2013 1833 22 0Sep 2013 1833 22 0


Friday 7th October 2011 Month Opening Trans Settle Change High Low Volume

Dec 2011 1740 1717 -18 1740 1707 3,774

Mar 2012 1766 1746 -17 1769S 1736 3,784May 2012 1780 1762 -17 1784S 1754S 885

Jul 2012 1789 1779 -16 1796S 1772S 487Sep-12 1804 1794 -13 1808 1793S 238

Dec 2012 1822 1810 -13 1825S 1802S 199Mar 2013 1820 1825 -10 1825S 1820S 37

May 2013 1834 -10 0Jul 2013 1823 -10 0

Sep 2013 1823 -10 0Average/Totals 1791 9,404

Average for the week 1791 12292 61,461









New York Board of Trade(New York Futures Market – Summary of Trading Activities)

(US$ per tone)

Monday 3rd October 2011 Month Open Price Change High Low Volume

Dec 2011 2600 2575 -33 2608 2555 13,025Mar 2012 2621 2612 -36 2647 2591 4,815May 2012 2658 2625 -38 2658 2607 690Jul 2012 2662 2641 -38 2675 2626 333Sep 2012 2675 2656 -37 2675 2638 164Dec 2012 2692 2670 -40 2692 2666 207Mar 2013 2712 2689 -40 2712 2675 103May 2013 2725 2703 -38 2725 2694 55Jul 2013 2745 2712 -38 2745 2706 22Sep 2013 0 2728 0 0 0 0

Average/Totals 2661 19414

Tuesday 4th October 2011 Month Open Price Change High Low Volume

Dec 2011 2554 2592 17 2619 2540 14,176Mar 2012 2606 2623 11 2648 2579 3,135May 2012 2605 2634 9 2659 2591 830Jul 2012 2621 2651 10 2674 2607 170Sep 2012 2634 2667 11 2685 2620 111Dec 2012 2650 2681 11 2650 2644 69Mar 2013 2657 2704 15 2659 2657 16May 2013 2681 2728 25 2681 2681 13Jul 2013 2705 2741 29 2723 2705 32Sep 2013 0 2756 28 0 0 0


Wednesday 5th October 2011 Month Open Price Change High Low Volume

Dec 2011 2604 2622 30 2646 2604 11,753Mar 2012 2657 2654 31 2675 2641 4,972May 2012 2660 2663 29 2683 2652 916Jul 2012 2683 2680 29 2687 2683 110Sep 2012 2691 2697 30 2703 2682 109Dec 2012 2721 2712 31 2721 2704 346Mar 2013 2740 2734 30 2740 2740 11May 2013 0 2754 26 0 0 722Jul 2013 0 2767 26 0 0 3Sep 2013 0 2777 21 0 0 0











Thursday 6th October 2011 Month Open Price Change High Low Volume

Dec 2011 2631 2660 38 2685 2610 15,407Mar 2012 2666 2686 32 2710 2638 6,999May 2012 2711 2697 34 2719 2649 1,733Jul 2012 2723 2713 33 2723 2669 340Sep 2012 2737 2730 33 2750 2684 391Dec 2012 2748 2740 28 2758 2717 209Mar 2013 2771 2760 26 2771 2761 12May 2013 2791 2775 21 2791 2781 3Jul 2013 2809 2790 23 2809 2799 3Sep 2013 0 2803 26 0 0 0


Friday 7th October 2011 Month Open Price Change High Low Volume

Dec 2011 2683 2652 -8 2691 2628 6,728Mar 2012 2719 2679 -7 2719 2655 2,198May 2012 2705 2691 -6 2727 2667 588Jul 2012 2720 2708 -5 2744 2688 140Sep 2012 2753 2723 -7 2757 2699 182Dec 2012 2711 2735 -5 2711 2711 32Mar 2013 0 2755 -5 0 0 4May 2013 0 2767 -8 0 0 0Jul 2013 0 2776 -14 0 0 0Sep 2013 0 2789 -14 0 0 0


Average for the week 2728 1795 1795











News

Health and Nutrit

Cocoa compounds show joint health potentialNutraIngredients-usa.comBy Stephen Daniells, 05-Oct-2011

Flavonoid compounds in cocoa may reduce inflammation associated with arthritis in lab animals, says a new study with possible implications for joint health.

Lab rats fed a cocoa-enriched diet displayed significantly lower levels of compounds associated with the progression of arthritis, according to findings published in the British Journal of Nutrition.

“These changes are not enough to significantly decrease chronic articular swelling, although a tendency to its modulation is observed at the end of the study,” wrote researchers from the University of Barcelona in Spain.

“[W]e can conclude that a cocoa diet channels the organism to develop an ‘anti-inflammatory environment’.

“Other studies need to be performed in order to establish the effect of cocoa in autoimmune arthritic models and its potential as an accompaniment of anti-inflammatory drugs,” they added.

Cocoa’s benefits

The health benefits of polyphenols from cocoa have been gathering increasing column inches in the national media. To date studies have reported potential benefits for cardiovascular health, skin health, and even brain health.

The meta-analysis supports findings from another meta-analysis by researchers from the University Hospital of Cologne that found that consumption of cocoa had significant positive effects on hypertension.

Writing in the Archives of Internal Medicine (2007, Vol. 167, pp. 626-634), the Cologne-based scientists: “The magnitude of the hypotensive effects of cocoa is clinically noteworthy; it is in the range that is usually achieved with monotherapy of beta-blockers or antiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors.”

The majority of science into the potential benefits of cocoa have revolved around cardiovascular benefits of the flavanols (also known as flavan-3-ols or catechins), and particularly the monomeric flavanol (-)epicatechin.

Ghana’s Cocoa Production hits 1 million metric tonesGhana Broadcasting CorporationOct, 3, 2011



NEWS

Health and Nutrition

Production & Quality


Ghana’s Cocoa Production has increased from about 680,000 metric tones in the 2007/2008 season to over the 1 million metric tones target during the on-going 2010/2011 season.

The highest ever increase is due to new policy interventions like the supply of high yielding plants, supply of inputs for rehabilitating old farms and timely payments of producer price and bonuses.

President John Atta Mills disclosed this at this year’s Cocoa Producers Alliance, (COPAL) Cocoa Day at Effiduase in the

Ashanti Region. The Theme for this year’s Copal Cocoa Day was “ Cocoa, Our Prosperity, Our Life”

President Mills commended Cocoa Farmers for achieving the 1 million metric tones target for the current cocoa season. He said government will continue to ensure that lucrative producer prices are paid to cocoa farmers so as to increase their incomes, reduce poverty and encourage them to work harder.

President Mills also disclosed that an amount of 868,000 Ghana cedis has been paid to the Department of Rural Housing, to construct houses for farmers.

Currently the total production figure for the Ivory Coast is around 1. 4 million metric tones. She overtook Ghana in 1977/1978 and Indonesia also beat Ghana to third place in the 2001/2002 season.

Currently Ghana is ranked the second largest producer of Cocoa in the world. Last year’s celebration took place at Hohoe in the Volta Region.

Davao City wants to be PH's top cocoa producerABS CBN News -By Keith Bacongco, BusinessMirror10/05/2011 DAVAO CITY—With world demand for cocoa constantly growing each year, the city government here is striving to become the country’s top cocoa producer.

But instead of bringing in more large-scale investors, the city government is prioritizing small farmers through its constant education program, technical assistance and market linkages.

Leonardo Avila III, the city’s Agriculture Office chief, said there might be no need for the large-scale plantation type because cacao can be planted along with other high-value crops even in the city’s hinterlands.

Instead of pushing for a plantation-type setup, Avila said they are encouraging farmers to engage in diversified farming since cacao can be inserted within the existing farms already planted with crops like coconut, coffee and durian.

The city’s cacao development program started in October last year and aims to plant the crop in at least 1,000 hectares a year, he said.

“We are continuously educating small farmers, conducting trainings and nurturing cacao seedlings in our nursery,” said Avila, a former city councilor.

He said the growing demand in the local and world market pushed the city government to promote cacao among small farmers. Currently, cocoa from the Davao region is sold to Europe and THE US markets, the official said.

Aside from the market demand, Avila said the city has seen the potentials of the terrain and the city’s climate condition for cacao farming. “Not everyone likes to eat durian while cacao has a potential market here and abroad. Everybody wants to eat chocolate and consumption of chocolate is growing,” he added.

Data at the World Cocoa Foundation web site showed that chocolate product consumption has been growing at around 3 percent per annum. From 5.5 million tons in 2001, it rose to 6.5 million tons last year.




Marilyn Carubio, Cocoa Foundation of the Philippines technical adviser for Mindanao, said the country produces 6,000 tons of cocoa a year, 80 percent of which is from the Davao region. Carubio said that production in the Davao region, particularly in the city, will increase in the coming years given the persistent advocacy of the city government.

The price range of dried cocoa beans in the local market is at P100 to P125 per kilo, while wet cacao beans cost P28 to P32 per kilo.

With the opening of the Cacao Agribusiness Zone Center in barangay Talandang in Tugbok District, she expressed hope that more farmers will now engage in cacao farming.

The facility, which was opened in January this year, has a 24-ton capacity fermentation boxes, sets of solar dryers and hybrid (artificial and solar) dryers, a central nursery, budwood garden, and a training hall. “We are offering free training to the farmers. We can either go to the barangays or conduct it here in the center,” she said in an interview.

Carubio also disclosed that they offer drying, fermenting and sorting of cacao beans for P15 per kilo, adding that the beans are ready for the market after these processes. She said it takes 10 days to complete these procedures.

Carubio said that as of July this year, they have already disposed 75,000 seedlings to the farmers for P20 each. “We are also aiming to sell 100,000 seedlings by the end of the year.”

Aside from cacao farmers from the city, there are farmers from South Cotabato having their beans processed in the facility.

Cacao Agribusiness Zone Centers are also in Dapitan City in Zamboanga del Norte and Montevista, Compostela Valley.

Dario Divino, CAO’s industrial crops specialist, cited the areas of Calinan, Marilog, Paquibato, Toril and Tugbok districts as suitable lands for cacao farming. “If a farmer has a hectare of coconut trees, let’s say if he can insert about 900 cacao trees, that’s an additional income already. That’s at least P150,000 of extra income,” Dario said in an interview. He added that a cacao tree can yield around 1.5 to two kilos of dried beans or around a ton of dried cacao beans per hectare.

As part of developing agroforestry program of the city, Avila said they have chosen cacao since it is a low-maintenance crop. He added that the through the Sustainable Agroforestry for Rural Upland Communities program, it can help conserve the watershed areas of the city and can be a tool in poverty alleviation.

Divino expressed the same views, saying that unlike mango, cacao does not need a lot of chemicals to be able to produce high yields.

“Cacao can thrive anywhere; it can adopt in our climate. It doesn’t require a lot of maintenance. Look at the farmers in very remote areas. They can still produce a good harvest of cacao without using any chemical or synthetic fertilizers. But for mangoes, you need to spend a lot of money in spraying chemicals to have a good harvest,” said Divino, who used to work as a supervisor in a plantation company.

Carubio considers cacao as a “friendly crop” since even the women can work in the cacao farm. “Even the kids can harvest the fruits because the tree is not really tall, the women can help in pruning.”

Divino added that this is the reason the city is focusing on small farmers because they (farmers) can easily adapt to the technology. “The problem with plantations is that if the owners changes their mind and they want to plant another crop, you have to cut down the cacaos. This is what happened in our company before,” the agriculturist added.

Avila said the city has a total of 162,000 hectares of agricultural land,105,000 of which is classified for agroforestry development. The area can be developed into a productive land through the agroforestry program, he said.




Aside from cacao, crops like cassava, coffee, coconut, durian and rubber are also being eyed to be promoted under the program.

As of June 10, data from the CAO showed that the current cacao farm is 1,139 hectares. These are in Calinan, Baguio, Tugbok, Toril, Paquibato and Marilog districts.

Avila said these are also the same areas they are eyeing for agroforestry development.

The data also showed that on top of the list is coconut with 16,000 hectares followed by corn (8,328 hectares), Cavendish banana (6,411 hectares), mango (4,133 hectares), durian (3,462 hectares, Lakatan banana (2,034 hectares), pineapple (1,706 hectares.) banana tundan (1,341 hectares), rice (1,310 hectares.), and cacao.

As part of the program, Avila said the city is now maintaining a five-hectare central nursery in Malagos district and eight satellite nurseries spread out in the barangays within the five watershed areas of Davao River, Lasang, Talomo, Lipadas and Sibulan.

Ageing growers leave Nigeria with cocoa headacheDaily Times NigeriaOctober 7, 2011 The country is ranked the fourth producer of the bean and is capable of tripling current production within the next five years by implementing its existing development policies

Old age or, rather, limited life expectancy - is thwarting Nigeria's chances of realising its potential as a force in cocoa, reducing growers' willingness to adopt a longer-term view and plant new trees.

The country, already the fourth-ranked producer of the bean, is "capable of tripling current production within the next five years simply by implementing its existing cocoa development policies", US Department of Agriculture attaches in Lagos said.

"It is estimated that only about 20% of Nigeria's 3.0m hectares of land suitable for cocoa production is currently in use," and land that is being farmed is often being done so inefficiently, thanks to ageing trees.

However, the ageing profile of Nigerian cocoa growers means they are reluctant to replace them, even though new varieties require only three years after planting before producing beans, compared with five years for traditional types.

Age issue

"A major problem with cocoa production in Nigeria is that the majority of Nigeria's cocoa farmers are above 60 years, and most cocoa trees are even older with diminished production," the attaches said.

"Farmers are concerned about an immediate loss of income if unproductive trees are cut and replanted."

The average Nigerian life expectancy is 47.6 years, according to the US Central Intelligence Agency, which cites the ravages of Aids on the population.

Cocoa growers already appear a particularly veteran cohort, with only 3.1% of Nigerians overall being aged 65 or over.

Government ambitions




The comments come as the administration of President Goodluck Jonathan, who has made a priority of boosting agriculture, is pursuing ambitious plans for cocoa, targeting a jump in output to 500,000 tonnes by 2015, boosted by measures to encourage replantings and fertilizer use.However, many previous governments too have introduced campaigns to boost output, only for the drives to come to nought.

Former president Olusegun Obasanjo in 1999 unveiled plans to take production to 600,000 tonnes in three years.

The USDA attaches estimate output at 300,000 tonnes in 2011-12, a forecast higher than that of many private analysts, with ABN Amro pegging the crop at 230,000 tonnes.

Wages, taxes...

Besides the age of growers, the cocoa sector faces the challenge of rising wages, with labour costs more than doubling, to 1,000 naira a day, over the past five years, during which time cocoa prices have risen by 50% to 460,000 naira a tonne.

Industry investment plans have also fallen short, with only eight of 17 processing facilities crushing beans.

And, thanks to power cuts, those working are only operating at about one-third of their capacity of 150,000 tonnes a year, the attaches said.

Other disincentives cited by industry include grading fees, averaging 5,000 naira per tonne, and state taxes and duties which can top 40,000 naira per tonne.

SOFTS-Sugar, coffee, cocoa bounce with sharesReuters Africaby David Brough Oct 6, 2011 LONDON Oct 6 (Reuters) - ICE sugar, coffee and cocoa futures bounced early on Thursday, in line with global stocks which rose for a second day as expectations grew policymakers would take steps to support European banks.

SUGAR

* Raw sugar futures rose, tracking gains in other markets, underpinned by tight supplies of Brazilian raw sugar.

* ICE sugar prices SBc1 have fallen by around 11 percent over the past month, as commodities have been hit by investor risk aversion, driven by the deepening Eurozone debt crisis.

* Dealers said lower sugar prices are stimulating physical demand from importing countries.

* ICE March raw sugar futures SBc1 traded up 0.26 cents or 1.05 percent at 25.06 cents a lb at 0815 GMT.

* December white sugar futures on Liffe rose $8.00 or 1.2 percent to $656.40 a tonne.

COFFEE

* Arabica coffee futures were also higher, taking direction from outside markets including equities and supported by tight inventories.

* December arabica coffee futures on ICE KCc1 were up 2.1 cents or 0.9 percent at $2.2980 per lb.



The Market


* Armajaro Trading Limited is expanding its global coffee operations into Colombia and Costa Rica, where it has opened a Latin American regional head office, its chief executive, Richard Ryan, said.* January robusta coffee on Liffe LRCc2 was up $11 or 0.6 percent at $2,029 per tonne.

* Vietnam, the world's top robusta producer, has cut its annual coffee export projection for calendar year 2011 to 1.12 million tonnes, or 18.7 million bags, from 1.17 million tonnes, the agriculture ministry said.

COCOA

* Cocoa futures on ICE were higher, in line with the commodities complex, steadying after falling to the lowest levels in more than two years on Tuesday. Ample cocoa supplies are in the pipeline from West African harvests, dealers say.

* ICE December cocoa CCc1 was up $33, or 1.3 percent, at $2,655 a tonne.

* West African plantations will churn out huge amounts of cocoa during the early months of this season due to near-ideal growing weather, and the full harvest is likely to rival last year's record volumes.

MARKET NEWS

* European equities extended the previous session's strong gains on Thursday on hopes officials will intensify their efforts to support Europe's financial sector, while latest data raised optimism the U.S. economy might avoid slipping into recession.

* European Central Bank President Jean-Claude Trichet is expected to prepare the ground for a pre-Christmas interest rate cut at his final policy meeting on Thursday and offer banks further protection against the euro zone's worsening debt storm.

Commodities up on hopes for euro debt solution, US dataMSN Philippines NewsBy Agence France-Presse, 10/7/2011Commodity prices mainly rose this week as traders tracked central bank efforts to steady the global economy, growing speculation over the recapitalisation of European banks and upbeat US data.

The European Central Bank unveiled plans on Thursday to boost liquidity in a move that eased eurozone debt crisis fears, while the Bank of England announced it would pump another �75 billion into the struggling British economy.

"The decisions taken by central banks provided a major boost," said Commerzbank analyst Carsten Fritsch.

"The Bank of England announced that it would be resuming its bond purchases.

"And the European Central Bank, while it did not cut interest rates, as had been expected by some market participants, announced a number of measures to boost liquidity and thus stabilise the banking system."

However, late on Friday, investor sentiment was jarred by news that Fitch ratings agency downgraded sovereign credit ratings for both Italy and Spain.

Markets were lifted earlier Friday by a labour market report showing the United States economy -- a leading consumer of many raw materials -- created more jobs than expected in September.

OIL: World oil prices rallied after the ECB announced measures to help cash-strapped banks in the eurozone under pressure from the eurozone debt crisis.

The market found further support on Friday when figures showed the US economy created a net 103,000 jobs in September.




While that was much stronger than the 60,000 jobs analysts expected, the number of new payrolls was not enough to lower the unemployment rate, which has been stuck at 9.1 percent for three months.

"Oil prices are on track to show some significant gains," said PVM analyst David Hufton.

However, sentiment remains extremely nervous amid uncertainty surrounding the outlook for global energy demand, analysts cautioned.

"The economic outlook in Europe and US remains uncertain," noted Victor Shum at energy consultancy Purvin and Gertz.

By late Friday on London's Intercontinental Exchange, Brent North Sea crude for delivery in November was higher at $105.86 a barrel from $103.12 a week earlier.

On the New York Mercantile Exchange, West Texas Intermediate (WTI) or light sweet crude for November, jumped to $82.82 from $80.65.

PRECIOUS METALS: Prices mostly rose, mirroring stock markets, amid talk of an overhaul of Europe's troubled banking sector.

"Gold ... is proving highly volatile at present and is moving largely in line with the equity markets," said Commerzbank analysts.

They said the metal rose "as fears of a recession eased and hopes emerged for recapitalisation of the European banking sector."

By late Friday on the London Bullion Market, gold rose to $1,652 an ounce from $1,620 the previous week.

Silver advanced to $31.98 an ounce from $30.45.

On the London Platinum and Palladium Market, platinum increased to $1,529 an ounce from $1,511.

Palladium declined to $609 an ounce from $614.

BASE METALS: Industrial metals aimed higher as traders seized on the upbeat US payrolls figures and central bank news leads.

"Base metals gained over the course of the week as a gradual (greater appetite for risk) filtered through in the wake of ECB and BoE action," said Credit Agricole CIB analyst Robin Bhar.

Prices were also lifted by "more positive news flow on the eurozone sovereign debt crisis and the fact that policymakers are now talking about re-capitalising European banks."

By late Friday on the LME, copper for delivery in three months rebounded to $7,348 a tonne from $7,070 the previous week.

Three-month aluminium firmed to $2,230 a tonne from $2,223.

Three-month lead dropped to $1,963 a tonne from $2,000.

Three-month tin increased to $22,925 a tonne from $20,500.

Three-month zinc fell to $1,905 a tonne from $1,968.

Three-month nickel rose to $19,030 a tonne from $18,150.

COCOA: Prices got support from rising global stock markets.




"Cocoa contracts ... were higher as stronger equity markets and a lower US dollar helped to push the market upward," said industry publication the Public Ledger.

By Friday on LIFFE, London's futures exchange, cocoa for delivery in December rose to �1,735 a tonne from �1,724 the previous week.In New York on the NYBOT-ICE, cocoa for December firmed to $2,676 a tonne from $2,658.

COFFEE: Coffee prices hit fresh nine-month lows in both London and New York at the start of the week, before rebounding into positive territory.

By Friday on NYBOT-ICE, Arabica for delivery in December rose to 234.40 US cents a pound from 230 US cents the previous week.

On LIFFE, Robusta for November advanced to $2,025 a tonne from $1,979 a tonne.

SUGAR: Prices lost ground on anticipation of a major surplus in the 2011-12 season.

By Friday on NYBOT-ICE, the price of unrefined sugar for delivery in March stood at 24.08 US cents a pound compared with 25.19 cents a week earlier.

On LIFFE, the price of a tonne of white sugar for December fell to �641.70 from �657 the previous week.

RUBBER: Prices rose slightly, supported by higher oil prices and the prospect of supply cuts by top rubber producer Thailand. Crude oil is used in the manufacture of synthetic rubber.

The Malaysian Rubber Board's benchmark SMR20 increased to 420.30 US cents a kilo from 412.75 the previous week.

Eurozone move lifts sugar, coffee, cocoagulfnews.comOctober 8, 2011London: ICE sugar, coffee and cocoa futures consolidated alongside other financial markets yesterday, supported by moves to resolve the Eurozone debt crisis.

European stocks were flat yesterday, but the euro clung to gains from a two-cent rally after Eurozone policymakers moved to shore up struggling banks to fend off a financial crisis.

Raw sugar futures rose, but analysts said sentiment could turn bearish due to the prospect of big northern hemisphere crops and as tight Brazilian sugar supplies were priced into the market.

"We are now moving away from the Brazilian story, and focusing more on what is happening in other producers such as India, Thailand and Europe," said Kona Haque, soft commodities analyst with Macquarie Bank, in a reference to expectations for big crops outside of top producer Brazil.

Questions emerging

A Macquarie commodities research report, released yesterday, said: "As prices head toward the low 20s cents per pound, questions will start emerging on whether Brazil will switch toward ethanol production [from cane], which is still very tight in the domestic market."ICE March raw sugar futures traded up 0.18 cent or 0.7 per cent at 24.82 cents a lb at 11.25am GMT.

New York sugar is technically neutral within a range of 24.31-25.49 cents per lb.

An escape will trigger the development of a short-term trend, according to Reuters market analyst Wang Tao.



Processing & Manufacturing


CAMPCO to introduce three more chocolates soonThe HinduBy Raviprasad KamilaOct. 4, 2011

The chocolates and cocoa products manufactured by the CAMPCO.

The Karnataka-Kerala cooperative society will have 25 varieties of chocolates

The Central Arecanut and Cocoa Marketing and Processing Cooperative Ltd. (CAMPCO) is all set to release three new premium chocolates to market within two months. It is set to commission two more windmills by the end of this month.

CAMPCO is a multi-State cooperative society of Karnataka and Kerala farmers. Its chocolate factory at Puttur in Dakshina Kannada is the only one managed by a cooperative body in the State and Kerala.

Suresh Bhandary, General Manager, CAMPCO, told The Hindu that of the three premium chocolates which would be released, two would be moulded with each bar priced at Rs. 20 and the other one would be an enrobed one which would be priced at Rs. 10 a bar. They would be released either by this month end or next month. “With this, CAMPCO will have 25 varieties of chocolates,” he said. Mr. Bhandary said that orange flavour of Krust, a choc mass coated wafer biscuit, was released at the annual general body meeting of CAMPCO here last month. This would be available in the market soon.

The CAMPCO would be commissioning two more windmills with each having 0.85 MW capacities at Chikkodi in Belgaum district by the end of this month. Together, the two windmills were expected to generate between 30 lakh units to 35 lakh units of power a year. They would supply power to its chocolate factory at Puttur through KPTCL power supply lines.

The cooperative owns a 1.25 MW capacity windmill at Halthimalapura in Hoovinahadagali taluk, Bellary district, which was commissioned on March 31, 2009. It generated 25 lakh units of power in 2009-10 and 21 lakh units in 2010-11.

Mr. Bhandary said that once the units at Chikkodi were commissioned, the cooperative expected to generate 57 lakh units of wind energy a year from windmills. The factory at Puttur required about 60 lakh units of power a year. With this, the factory would move towards self-reliance in power.

Sales

According to the annual report of CAMPCO for 2010-11 released at its annual general body meeting last month the sales of its chocolate division grew by 30 per cent.

It sold chocolates amounting to Rs. 49.72 core and cocoa industrial products (like cocoa powder, cocoa butter, cocoa mass) worth Rs. 73.97 crore. The total production at the factory stood at 13,623.60 tonnes. It exported 830 tonnes of drinking chocolates worth Rs. l8.66 crore.

Cocoa to continue to be Ghana’s main foreign exchange earnerGhana Broadcasting Corporation10/01/2011



Business & Economy


Ghana's Deputy High Commissioner to the U. K, Mrs. Elizabeth Nicol, has assured the International Cocoa Organization, ICCO, of government's continuous support to the sector.

She said this at a reception in London for members of ICCO which was attended by board members of the Ghana Cocoa Board.Mrs. Nicol said, even though Ghana has joined the ranks of oil

producing countries, government will not abandon the cocoa sector since it contributes significantly to the country's GDP and a major foreign exchange earner. She congratulated the Chief Executive of COCOBOD, Anthony Fofie, for his exemplary leadership that ensured the production of one million metric tons of cocoa this year.

The Deputy High Commissioner also commended ICCO for providing fair prices to cocoa farmers and exporters.

She observed that Ghana's commitment to ICCO is exemplified by the signing of the new International Cocoa Agreement on August 1 this year which is guaranteed for the future.

Mrs Nicol therefore assured ICCO and cocoa consumers of the sustenance of the high quality of Ghana's cocoa beans.

The Chief Executive Officer of Cocobod, Anthony Fofie, who is also the outgoing chairman of the International Cocoa Council and chair of the 83rd and 84th sessions, said

COCOBOD with support from government will continue to work closely with ICCO as they have done in the past.

He was presented with a golden cocoa pod by the delegates of ICCO for his sterling performance as the chairman of the organization.

Particular mention was made of his flexibility and the diplomacy with which he handled matters of the organization.

‘CHOCOLATE: AROUND THE WORLD’Chicago Sun-Times -By Kara Spak [email protected] October 5, 2011

The Field Museum has brought back its popular 2002 exhibit "Chocolate: Around the World Can’t get enough chocolate? Then head to the Field Museum in Chicago.

The blockbuster exhibit “Chocolate: Around the World” — which sold more than 360,000 tickets in its first Field run in 2002 — is back.

Since its original iteration, only “Tutankhamun and the Golden Age of the Pharaohs” in 2006-07 and “Real Pirates: The Untold Story of the Whydah from Slave Ship to Pirate Ship” in 2009

sold more special tickets at the Field.

“Chocolate” has traveled to 22 other American museums in the past nine years and will head out internationally after its current Field run is up in January, said John McCarter, Field president and chief executive officer.




He added that “Chocolate” combines both the Field’s focus on anthropology and natural history with its look at the origins of cacao and the role chocolate played in a variety of cultures during hundreds of years.

“This is one of the great combination stories,” he said.

From the humble cacao beans, which look like large raw almonds, to a vintage chocolate mold shaped like a rabbit driving a scooter, “Chocolate” aims to present a macro and micro look at a food that Americans, on average, consume 12 pounds of every year.

Gary Feinman, one of the “Chocolate” exhibition curators, said people were drawn as much to the exhibit’s story as the subject matter.

“Everybody loves chocolate,” he said. “The story is great, and the exhibits are about stories.”

Little has changed in the exhibit since it first premiered at the Field.

Among the new items featured are excavated ceramic vessels in which chocolate residue was found. This helps explain how chocolate was used.

There is also an update on troubling conditions at African cocoa farms.

“There are issues with child labor, the labor conditions,” Feinman said. “There are still issues but I think there’s more consciousness about some of the problems.”

Feinman, whose research on pre-Hispanic Middle American people is focused on the area around Oaxaca, Mexico, said even now, cocoa beans are a revered symbol at an archeological site he studies.

“At a contemporary shrine people leave an offering, cacao beans wrapped in banana leaves,” he said.

Ministry Urges More Cocoa R&DBernamaOctober 07, 2011 KUALA LUMPUR, (Bernama) -- Deputy Plantation Industries and Commodities Minister Datuk Hamzah Zainudin has called for more research and development in cocoa, saying it would enable the downstream industry to offer products with premium value added for consumers.

Speaking to reporters at the opening ceremony of Malaysia Cocoa and Chocolate Day (MCCD) 2011 here today, he said cocoa usage in Malaysia at 0.5 kg per capita is only 10 per cent of the consumption in European countries.

"This relatively low consumption sends a message about how chocolate is perceived by Malaysians, which needs to be changed," he added.

The MCCD 2011 is an initiative of the Malaysian Cocoa Board (MCB), supported by the Ministry, to change the public's negative perceptions about chocolate and educate them on its nutritional values.



Labour Issues

Environmental Issue

Research & Development


This three-day event is also to encourage more investment in the downstream industry to produce a variety of high-quality cocoa-based products for the local and international market, as well as to enhance the cocoa industry development in Malaysia.

Hamzah also urged the public to come to the upcoming Malaysia International Commodity Conference and Showcase (MICCOS) 2011, to be held on Oct 28-30 at the Malaysia Agro Exposition Park Serdang (MAEPS), Selangor.

MICCOS 2011 is a premier biennial event that brings together major industry players and entrepreneurs in the commodities sector which includes palm oil, rubber, kenaf, cocoa, pepper, tobacco and sago.

Artisan creamery offers cocoa, cookie, herb and fruit cheesesDaily HeraldBy Ashley FranscellOctober 6, 2011 Owner and cheesemaker, Grant Kohler, serves different homestead cheeses to Annik and Jerod Carlisle of Provo during a tasting event at Heber Valley Artisan Cheese on Tuesday, October 4, 2011 in Midway. ASHLEY FRANSCELL/Daily Herald

Cocoa nibs from Ghana, mandarin orange, Alfredo, cinnamon honey, salsa, tomato basil -- those were just a few of the 40 artisan cheeses fresh from Utah's newest state-of-the-art cheese cave in Midway.

Heber Valley Artisan Cheese held its first tasting on Tuesday night, allowing guests to savor raw milk artisan cheeses that have been aging for at least 60 days in the chilled "cave." The company is one of only a handful in the United States to both own its own herd of milk cows and use that milk to make artisan cheeses, said Russ Kohler, a fourth-generation farmer here. He and his father, Grant Kohler, own the dairy and creamery.

The family went into the artisan cheese business because "the dairy business is rough right now," Russ Kohler said. "To survive you either have to grow huge or find a niche market."

The creamery hopes its claim to fame will not only be delicious, aged raw milk cheeses but also the unique artisan rounds produced here in small batches. They also flavor fresh cheeses, which are pasteurized on site, according to federal regulations.

Guests on Tuesday paid $5 each to taste the 40 cheeses laid out. There was certainly a cheese for every palate. Owners asked guests to rate the cheeses on a survey sheet. The results will be used to determine which cheeses the creamery will produce in the future, Russ Kohler said.

The buffet began with a soft, fresh mozzarella that was mild and melted in the mouth. Flavored white aged cheddars ranged from rounds rubbed in cinnamon and honey to the light maple brown sugar flavor. Among the sweetest flavors were the white cheddars topped with rhubarb-fruit jams, made in Midway. The fruit flavors included blueberry, raspberry and apple-cinnamon. The creamery calls them party cheeses.

The apple cheddar has dried red and green apples mixed in with the cheese, creating a texture not normally seen in cheese. The creamery also makes two cheeses using imported "Ghana Kokoa" chocolate nibs. The cheese with the nibs mixed in was crunchy and had almost no chocolate flavor. The round with ground nibs rubbed on the outside had a mild cocoa flavor.

Novelty cheeses included pineapple, Oreo, mandarin orange and cilantro cheeses, although the flavors were not strong. The white aged cheddar with cranberry stood out because of its rose-colored marbling, but the cranberry flavor was nearly undetectable.

Heber Valley Artisan Cheese was made available online for the first time this week. Several traditional flavors, including Swiss and Parmesan -- called Aggiano here -- can be bought online, along with a variety of jams.



Promotion & Consumption


More specialty cheeses will be added to the site for purchase in upcoming weeks. For information, visit HeberValleyCheese.com.



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