A comparative study of the influence of climatic elements on cocoa production in two agrosystems of bimodal rainfall: Case of Ngomedzap forest zone and the contact area of forest-savanna of Bokito

Abstract

Cocoa production in Cameroon, cultivated on a surface area estimated at 450,000 hectares stood at 200.000 tons in 2012 and represented 2.1% of GNP. This productivity remains low compared to that of other African countries like Ivory Coast, Ghana and Nigeria. This paper aims at determining and comparing the influence of climate on cocoa production in the forest zone of Ngomedzap and the Bokito savanna zone. Ngomedzap has an equatorial Guinean climate type with bimodal rainfall characterized by the alternation of two dry seasons and two rainy seasons of varying durations. The average annual temperature in Ngomedzap is 25.5°C and the average annual rainfall is between 1500mm and 1700 mm . The climate in Bokito is equatorial transition type with a bimodal rainfall, characterized by two rainy seasons and two dry seasons with variable durations. The average temperature is 26.8°C and the average annual rainfall is between 1200mm and 1450 mm. Generally, despite the precarious climate, the influence of climatic parameters on the production of cocoa is more significant in Bokito than in Ngomedzap. The Bokito zone with less precipitation is more favourable for flowering than in Ngomedzap, with 4% and 2.2% respectively while the formation of pods is equally 32.4% in Bokito compared to barely 2.8 % in Ngomedzap. The notion that cocoa production is exclusive to the forest area is accordingly not the rule anymore. These results are useful in situating suitable areas of cocoa production in Cameroon.

Keywords: Climate, cocoa, production, rainfall, Cameroon, agrosystem

JOURNAL OF THE CAMEROON ACADEMY OF SCIENCES VOL. 11 No. 1 (2013)