Authors should prepare an abstract of approximately 400 words, containing all essential information regarding objectives, materials and methods, results and conclusions, but excluding sectional headings, figures, graphs, tables and references. The text should be single spacing on A4 (210 mm x 297 mm), with a margin of 4 cm on the left side and 2 cm on all other sides. The recommended font is Times New Roman size 10.

The selection of papers to be delivered at the Conference will be based on these summaries.

One copy of the summary should reach the following address at the latest by 31 January 2012.

The Secretary General (Subject: 17th International Cocoa Research Conference) Alliance of Cocoa Producing Countries National Assembly Complex P.O. Box 1718 Lagos, Nigeria Tel: +234-70-9814-1735 / +234-70-9814-1736 Fax: +234-70-9814-1734 E-mail: 17icrc@copal-cpa.org

The Full Paper should be preceded by the information Summary submitted previously. The Full Text should follow the same spacing and margins as described for the abstract on the previous page. The recommended font is Times New Roman size 10. The full paper should not exceed 3,000 words, including tables, figures and graphs. Each table, figure or graph is considered as being equivalent to the number of words, which could have been typed in an equivalent space. An invited paper should not exceed 9,000 words, including tables, figures and graphs. A participant may present up to two papers as Sole Author or Senior Author. The name of the author could, however, appear as a contributor to other papers. Figures, tables, photographs and graphs should be in the precise position in the text of the paper.
Authors should follow the format in Guidelines to Contributors of Papers (annexed).
Electronic Copy (On CD or diskette)
To facilitate the production of the proceedings on hard copy and on CD ROM, authors are hereby requested to submit their presentations by e-mail (as attachments) or on CD. The CD or disquette label should identify clearly the name of the author and the title of the paper. To ensure uniformity in format, use Word for Windows and font Times New Roman size 10. In the case of figures and tables, please use Word or Excel.
Oral presentation
The authors must therefore prepare the text of their presentation in writing, by selecting the main points of their paper and providing an explanation for the tables, slides, etc. They must bring eight copies of their presentation to the conference, for use by the interpreters. The preparation of this oral presentation is essential to the success of the Conference. (Speakers: maximum 1,000 words; Invited Speakers: maximum 3,000 words.) For the Conference to proceed without hitch, speakers and invited speakers should not exceed the 10 and 30 minutes allocated to them, respectively.
Poster presentations
In addition to the oral sessions some of the papers may be presented in poster format (drawings, leaflets, samples, etc.). These poster sessions will correspond as closely as possible to the relevant Conference sessions. Authors should indicate if they prefer their papers to be included in poster presentation sessions. If that is the case, their contributions should comply with the standards defined in the Guidelines for speakers.
DEADLINE
Deadline for a hard copy of the complete typescript of full papers and a CD should reach the address SUBMISSIONS: below at the latest by 30 June 2012.
The Secretary General (Subject: 17th International Cocoa Research Conference) Alliance of Cocoa Producing Countries Brick House, National Assembly Complex, P.O. Box 1718 Lagos, Nigeria Tel: +234-70-9814-1735 / +234-70-9814-1736 Fax: +234-70-9814-1734 E-mail: 17icrc@copal-cpa.org

Registration forms should be returned to both addresses below on or before 01st September 2012 at the following addresses :
Registration Form   (For Online Registration Click here)  Name :  Address :  Country :  Date :   Occupation :   Organization :   Address :  Telephone :  Fax :  Email :
1. The Secretary General (Subject: 17th International Cocoa Research Conference) Alliance of Cocoa Producing Countries Brick House, National Assembly Complex Tafawa Balewa Square P O Box 1718 Lagos, Nigeria Tel: +234-70-9814-1735 / +234-70-9814-1736 Fax: +234-70-9814-1734 E-mail: 17icrc@copal-cpa.org	2. The Chairman National Organising Committee 17th International Cocoa Research Conference Ministry of Trade - National Cocoa and Coffee Board Agronomic Development Research Institute B.P. 501, Immeuble Rose Yaound, Cameroon Tel.: +237 22 22 00 70 / +237 33 42 42 35 Fax: +237 22 23 90 29 / +237 33 42 00 02 E-mail : oncc2003@yahoo.fr
The Registration fee does not include a copy of the Conference Proceedings, and is payable at Conference venue as follows: Participants who are nationals of Member Countries of the Alliance US$250.00 Participants from Non-Member Countries US$450.00 This Fee covers the cost of lunches over the 6 days of Conference period. A late fee of additional US$50.00 will be charged after the deadline for registration. Institutions are urgently requested to send a list of participants to the host country.

The official languages of the Conference are English, French, Portuguese and Spanish. Simultaneous interpretation will be provided in these languages only.

FURTHER INFORMATION: Participants should feel free to ask for further information about the Conference. For information on Cameroon, please contact:
The Chairman National Organising Committee 17th International Cocoa Research Conference Ministry of Trade - National Cocoa and Coffee Board Agronomic Development Research Institute B.P. 501, Immeuble Rose Yaound, Cameroon Tel.: +237 22 22 00 70 / +237 33 42 42 35 Fax: +237 22 23 90 29 / +237 33 42 00 02 E-mail :oncc2003@yahoo.fr
For information related to the Conference, please contact the Secretary General of COPAL in Lagos, Nigeria
The Secretary General Alliance of Cocoa Producing Countries Brick House, National Assembly Complex Tafawa Balewa Square P O Box 1718 Lagos, Nigeria Tel: +234-70-9814-1735 / +234-70-9814-1736 Fax: +234-70-9814-1734 E-mail: 17icrc@copal-cpa.org

Cameroon: Africa in miniature

Cameroon's history is very special as here started the largest human migrations during the last four thousand years. The archaeological, linguistic and genetic data suggests that the Bantu group, today forming one third of the African population, started spreading into Sub-Saharan Africa from Cameroon and Nigeria.

Cameroon is located in Central Africa, at the bottom of the Gulf of Guinea, slightly above the Equator, and extends from Lake Chad to the Atlantic Coast. It is bordered by Chad to the North, the Central African Republic to the East, Congo, Gabon and Equatorial Guinea to the South and Nigeria to the West.

In 1472, the Portuguese navigator, Fernão Pó, dodging the fully-erupting Mount Cameroon (4070 m above sea level), sailed into the opening of the Wouri River which he found to be teeming with prawns. He called this place the Rio dos Camaroes, which would be turned into Camarones by the Spanish and later into Cameroun by the French.

In 1884, Cameroon, which until then had served as a staging post for many traders and missionaries, became a German colony following treaties signed with Duala chiefs. Cameroon was placed under French mandate after the 1918 Armistice. The status of mandate was converted into a trusteeship in 1945. In 1958, the country obtained internal autonomy before becoming independent in 1960.

The first President was Ahmadou Ahidjo, succeeded in 1982 by the current incumbent, Mr Paul Biya.

Covering an area of 472,442 sq. km and with a population of 19,406,100, Cameroon has several large cities, including: Yaoundé, the country's political capital with a population of nearly two million, is 250 km from the coast and 700 m above sea level and Douala, the economic capital, which has nearly three million inhabitants. It includes the country's main port. There are also the large urban centres of Garoua, Bafoussam, Maroua, Bamenda, Limbe, Kribi, Foumban, Dschang and Kumba.

Cameroon has 240 ethnic groups, divided into three major groups (Bantus, Semi-Bantus and Sudanese). The official languages are French and English, spoken by 70% and 30% of the population respectively. Many citizens also speak Spanish and German. There are over 240 languages and dialects spoken throughout the country.

Added to this ethnic diversity is a geographical diversity, firstly, a combination of tropical forests and savannah and a Sahelian and semi-arid area and secondly, a mountain range and an Atlantic coastal area of 400 km. These ethnic, climatic and geographical diversities make Cameroon Africa in miniature.

Cameroon is a lay State. Christianity and Islam are the two main religions practised here. Animism is also practised by many people.

AGRICULTURE: Cameroonian agriculture

Cameroon is commonly called the "storehouse of Central Africa". It is the main source of food products for countries in the sub-region. The document entitled Development Strategy for the Rural Sector produce the following annual estimates in 2005:

1. Cereals : 1,686,000 tonnes
2. Roots and tubers: 3,836,000 tonnes
3. Legumes: 300,000 tonnes
4. Oil crops: 239,000 tonnes
5. Vegetables: 1,405,000 tonnes
6. Fruit: 2,282,000 tonnes
7. Palm oil: 177,000 tonnes

Cameroon is also a not insignificant producer of cash crops and agricultural commodities for export, especially bananas, wood, rubber, coffee, cotton and cocoa.

Cocoa growing in Cameroon

Cocoa was introduced in 1887 in the current region of Limbe. The German administration saw in its cultivation an excellent form of promoting the colonial pact. Cocoa is the flagship product of German colonisation. On the eve of the First World War, the current region of Limbe housed the largest known plantation in the world. Covering about 7,800 hectares, it then belonged to the West Afrikanishe Pflanzung Victoria (WAPV). Immediately following the War, the French and British administrations took over the distribution of agricultural commodities. Cocoa continued to hold a dominant place at the side of coffee and other tropical products like cotton, tobacco, bananas, rubber and oil palm.

Incentive measures were then introduced, like the Native Order of Merit Medal for cocoa, then restrictive measures through the indigenousness code and the poll tax. The colonial administration subsequently applied an effective policy of supporting the cultivation of agricultural commodities. Financial aids were granted to develop production, mainly through the creation, equipping and operation of research and agricultural extension centres.

The first annual harvests recorded during the period 1901-1904 amounted to 1,000 tonnes. Immediately following the Second World War, production was 41,000 and achieved 80,000 after independence, mainly during the period 1960-1964. It then increased steadily until the early 1970s, when all the colonial plantations achieved full capacity with production bordering on 120,000 tonnes. The cocoa sector then stagnated until 2008/2009, the year when the 200,000 tonnes mark was crossed. The latest statistics report about 210,000 tonnes recorded in 2009/2010.

The bulk of the cocoa production in Cameroon was for a long time of Trinitario varieties, hybrids combining the hardiness of the Forastero group and the fine aroma of the Criollo group. New crosses from different clones are today produced and popularised by IRAD and SODECAO, two bodies in charge respectively of research and the development of cocoa cultivation. They feature in particular better resistance to black pod and capsids, the main scourges of cocoa in Cameroon. They also have better productivity, some 700 kg to 1000 kg/ ha after eighteen months, against 369 kg/ha after five to six years for the traditional varieties introduced by the colonial administration. Cocoa from Cameroon is renowned for its high butter content and its ochre red colour ideal for manufacturing cocoa powder, all qualities which make it a sought-after commodity for the processors.

Cocoa is Cameroon's main export crop. Cocoa cultivation is a traditional activity as well as a major source of employment in rural areas. In 1986/87, there were 453,000 hectares planted. Along with coffee, cocoa provides a livelihood for over 600,000 farmers, benefits six million people directly or indirectly and accounts for 40% of exports by the primary sector.

The cocoa sector in Cameroon is fully liberalised. Five national bodies help supervise it:

• The National Cocoa and Coffee Board (NCCB), an administrative body responsible among other things of monitoring the export quality and representing the State in the international cocoa and coffee organisations.
• The Cocoa and Coffee Inter-Professional Board (CICC), a joint body grouping the professional organisations of Agriculture, Trade, Industry and the Services of the Cocoa and Coffee sectors. Its role is to stabilise the internal cocoa and coffee market and organise it efficiently.
• The Cocoa and Coffee Development Fund (FODECC), with the mission of providing financial support services to cocoa- and coffee-related projects.
•The Development Research Institute (IRAD), whose mission, for all agricultural products, is to improve the quality and production of the basic seed.
• The Cocoa Development Company (SODECAO), which broadcasts in rural areas the results of cocoa research.

Geography and History:

Yaound, the capital of Cameroon, is located in the South of the Centre Province. It is a green city crossed by small water courses and straddling a range of seven hills. It has an average temperature of 23C in October. It covers an area of 304 sq. km broken down into seven areas housing over a hundred districts.

Created on November 30, 1989, Yaound was a German military post which expanded thanks to the German traders who had made it their base for the ivory trade. The city was occupied by Belgian troops during the First World War before being placed under French protectorate at the end of the Great War. Yaound experienced a constant exodus from 1957 onwards due to the cocoa crisis and social and political troubles affecting Doula, then the main city.

Administration, Economy and Teaching:

Yaound houses the Presidency of the Republic of Cameroon, the ministerial buildings and the departments of the Governor of the Centre Province. It is the headquarters of such international institutions as the Bank of Central African States.

It is essentially a service sector city with a main shopping centre around Avenue Kennedy and several markets, the largest being the Central market, the Mokolo market and the Mfoundi market, where you can breathe in the ambience of a tropical market.

Yaound is the headquarters of two State universities: the universities of Yaound I and Yaound II; attached to these are a variety of higher education establishments - Ecole Nationale Suprieure Polytechnique, Ecole Nationale Suprieure Agronomique, Ecole Suprieure des Travaux Publics, Ecole Normale Suprieure, Institut International des Relations Internationales and Ecole Suprieure des Sciences et Techniques de l'Information et de la Communication.

The Cameroon capital is also home to private higher education establishments like the Catholic University of Central Africa, the Protestant University of Central Africa, the University of South Yaound Ndi Samba and the Institute Siantou Suprieur.

Heritage and Tourism:

The city has a refurbished road network which is currently being widened following work undertaken in recent years by the urban community of Yaound. The most striking buildings include the headquarters of the BEAC, the tower of the Socit Nationale d'Investissements, the Hilton Hotel, the Presidency of the Republic, the Palais des Congrs, the Mont-Fb Hotel and the ministerial buildings.

There are public gardens near City Hall, in the Fb district, around the Charles Atangana monument in the city centre and all around the Palais des Congrs.
There are also a few amusement parks like the Kiriakides parks in the Djoungolo district and Bois Sainte-Anastaise located at the Warda crossroads. Without being exhaustive, sites or monuments listed below are well worth a visit:

National Museum, in the city centre
Reunification Monument, near the National Assembly
Mont Fb.
The historic building of the Ewondo chiefdom in the Efoulan district.
The zoo and botanical gardens of Mvog-Beti.
Notre-Dame des Victoires Cathedral located in the city centre.
The Cameroonian cultural centre in the Nlongkak district.
The Museum of Cameroon Art in the Benedictine Monastery on Mont Fb.
The steles of Dr Eugne Jamot.
The Cameroon Presbyterian Chapel of Djoungolo.
The Charles Atangana Palace.

Shopping and Leisure activities:

The craft market in the Mont Ane-rouge in the city centre is the place for foreign visitors to acquire works typical of the Cameroon cultural heritage.

There are cabarets with shows where local artists perform live on stage. One of the most popular is La Terre Battue.

Yaound also has several night clubs, the best known being the Katios, the Sanza, the Safari, the Mvet and the Balafon.

Climate and Clothing:

Yaound has such a mild and pleasant climate the whole year around. Sunny days during the rainy season, between August and October, tropical storms will alternate with the blue sky and the sun. The average daily temperature in Yaound is about 27 C (81 F) and 23 C in October. The relative humidity is high, around 88%. There is comparatively little difference between the daytime and night time temperatures. Light clothing is recommended for during the day, but a light jacket or sweater is usually necessary in the evening.

Transport:

Airport taxis will take you to your hotel. We recommend using the yellow city taxis. Taxis can be rented through the hotel concierge. A city taxi pick-up costs 200 FCFA, about 0.30. The price should be agreed for an individual trip in the city, but it is normally 1500 FCFA per hour (2.30 minimum). The journey to the airport costs 3500 FCFA (5.50) during the day and 5000 FCFA (8) at night after 6 p.m.

A wide range of recommended hotel accommodation is available in Yaound, Douala and other big cities. Yaound, the city of seven hills, offers all categories of accommodation, from safe, comfortable hotels for those on a tight budget to standard international and luxury hotels.

Foreign visitors to Cameroon will find international cuisine in the large hotel centres and restaurants in the large cities. However, Cameroon gastronomy is especially varied (fish, meat, fresh vegetables and fruit) and is worth tasting.

The local currency is the franc CFA, which has a fixed parity with the Euro (1 Euro = 656 FCFA). The rate for other currencies is updated every day. You can change currency at the airport, hotels and banks and approved bureaux de change. Banks are normally open from 7.30 a.m. to 3 p.m. You will find cash points in different locations. It is not safe to change money on the streets.