Exporters
Ivory Coast says chocolate traders failing to pay farmers living wage premium
Major chocolate traders in Ivory Coast are failing to pay a $400-per-tonne premium on beans aimed at curbing farmer poverty, the country’s cocoa regulator said in a draft letter seen by Reuters on Friday. The Coffee and Cocoa Council (CCC) said companies including Mondelēz International Inc(MDLZ.O) were offsetting the Living Income Differential (LID) by offering a negative country differential – normally a premium of 70 to 150 pounds ($99-$212) per tonne to reflect the quality of Ivory Coast’s beans. Mondelēz said it was paying the full LID. “(Mondelēz) does not offer or have any influence over negative country differentials,” the company said in a statement to Reuters. Buyers have been pressing for the country differential to be turned into a country discount, so farmers receive the extra...
Naira weakens to lowest in three years
The Naira yesterday weakened to the lowest in over three years in the parallel market due to increased demand for dollars amid foreign-currency shortages. The local currency depreciated to N495 to a dollar yesterday, lowest since February 23, 2017, widening the gap with the official rate of N379.5 to over 30 per cent. The currency traded in the interbank market at 389.74 as of 4:54p.m. in Lagos. Agency reports quoted traders as alleging a groundswell of diversion of dollars, a development which heightened scarcity of the green back in the parallel market this week. There is a diversion of inflows away from official channels to the parallel market due to the gap in rates, Murega Mungai, trading desk manager for Aza Finance said in a note Thursday. The market spread has created arbitrage opp...
Meter manufacturer urges Nigerian government to grant sector ‘special’ forex regime
Sabrud Consortium, an indigenous electricity prepaid metre manufacturing firm, has urged the Federal Government to grant special forex regime to the sector. It also applauded the upward review of metre prices by Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC) which took effect on June 1. The firm said also that the increase in prices of prepaid electricity meters will boost local production. Chiso Nwangwu, Managing Director of Sabrud Consortium, who spoke to newsmen in Awka on Thursday, said the increase in prices was long overdue as the former rates had become grossly inadequate in view of the prevailing economic realities. Newsmen recall that NERC earlier this month, announced that customers would now pay N44,896.17 instead of N36,991.50 for single phase meters while three phase meter ...
