The export of coffee and cocoa is subject to specific requirements. Accordingly, apart from a certificate of quality issued by the NCCB, exporters must also submit an application on stamped paper to the Ministry in charge of trade, an extract from the trade register, together with their registration number, the list of “operational infrastructures” required by the CICC, and a declaration whereby they pledge to comply with the rules of the CICC.
The prerequisite steps include:
- Obtaining the Certificate of Conformity for equipment;
- Declaration of existence;
- Certification of Enrolment in the exporters file;
- Obtaining the Exporter Code;
- Obtaining the CICC Professional Card and
- Membership of the Exporters’ Group:
Pre-Clearance Process
The main steps being:
Registration of the sale on the e-GUCE platform
All exports of cocoa or coffee are triggered by a statement of sale sent to NCCB by the exporter or his duly authorised representative, with the exception of non-commercial samples.
The NCCB validates the aforementioned statement and immediately issues a registration receipt. As a result, no export file can be validated by other administrations without a registration receipt.
Obtaining the pre-liquidation form
On the basis of the above receipt, the exporter or his representative submits an on-line discharge request to the NCCB, with a view to obtaining the pre-liquidation form.
Issue of the Export Declaration (ED)
All Export Declaration (ED) requests are initiated on the Single Window’s e-Force platform by Operators with an access code. The exporter or his agent initiates an export clearance request with SGS via E-Force by attaching the following documents:
- Receipt of registration issued by NCCB;
- Application for coffee/cocoa export (completed form).
Domiciliation of ED
As in the general case, the ED is then domiciliated to a bank in order to guarantee the repatriation of the foreign currency involved in the commercial transaction.
Management Process
Two (2) main instruments govern the management of export goods in the Port of Douala to wit;
- Ministerial Instruction No. 00000449/MINFI/DGD du 10/09/2013, organising the automated procedure for managing goods by sea;
- Service Memo No. 056/MINFI/ DGD of 01/02/2022, specifying the procedures for scanning goods in containers for export at the Port Authority of Douala.
Steps are as follows
- Special processing
All coffee and cocoa export operations are subject to special processing, checks and verifications by NCCB, SGS and the Customs Administration, which interact with the e-GUCE electronic platform. These interactions enable exporters to submit their applications and obtain the relevant electronic documents from a single form (e-FORCE), with a view to simplifying procedures. This involves:
- Treatment of lots by approved companies;
- Issue of a verification certificate;
- Issue of Phytosanitary certificate by MINADER;
- Payment of various royalties collected by NCCB;
- Issue of the Certificate of Origin (ICO/OIC).
Documents supplied are the packing list and the quality certificate.
- Quality Control
Coffee intended for export is subject to Quality Control. Export quality control is carried out under the supervision of the NCCB by bodies approved for this purpose by order of the Minister in charge of trade.
This results in the issue of a quality and verification certificate.
- Phytosanitary check
Following quality control, products meant for export must undergo a Phytosanitary Treatment before shipment.
These treatments can last up to 72 hours. It is therefore important to start the treatments in advance by contacting one of the approved treatment companies and the phytosanitary service. Batches of coffee/cocoa can be processed in advance and stored in warehouses that fall within one of the health chains defined at the port of Douala. The list of these health chains is posted on the GUCE.
Customs clearance and shipment
Pursuant to Decree No.2017/1279/ PM of 13 March 2017 setting the terms and conditions for the liquidation, recovery and repayment of agricultural levies, customs clearance procedures are as follows
- Control and calculation of charges
On the basis of the documents required, the relevant Customs Office checks and settles the amount payable.
Required documents are the followings:
- Pre-liquidation form issued by NCCB
- The quality certificate issued by a quality control company approved by the Ministry of Trade and certified by NCCB;
- Valid phytosanitary certificate;
- Packing certificate, where applicable;
- Export declaration;
- Export licence delivered by the Treasury.
Once the inspection has been completed, the data relating to the settlement is sent to the GUCE electronic platform.
- Payment of exit duties
Based on the Customs clearance slip (BLD), the exporter or his representative proceeds with the payment of the full amount of the duties to a bank approved by the Ministry of Finance at the Single Window. The bank that collects the duties validates the payment on the platform.
Once payment has been received, the platform distributes the quotas to each beneficiary in accordance with the decrees of the Ministry of Trade setting the fee for cocoa and coffee exports.
- Issue of the Delivery Warrant
After a thorough checking of the declaration and attached items, customs services issue the Delivery Warrant, via the Customs system, which is transmitted to the stevedore for issue of Shipment Warrant. This requires presentation of:
- Customs declaration (EXD) along with a receipt for duties paid;
- Export declaration issued by SGS;
- Packing certificate issued by the relevant brigade;
- Packing report issued by NCCB;
- Pre-liquidation form;
- Verification certificate;
- The ECTN;
- Phytosanitary certificate;.
- Issue of the weighing certificate
The container is taken to a weighing station at the Port’s Container Terminal with ECB, for loading onto the chosen vessel. It is issued with a Weighing Certificate.
- Obtaining the Shipping Authorisation
To obtain the Shipping Authorisation from Ecor Export Office, the following is needed:
- An application for Shipping Authorisation containing essential information on the commodities, the exporter and the vessel, which has received the Shipment Warrant from ECB;
- The customs declaration (EXD) in Authorised Exit Goods status, along with its receipt for duties payment;
- The phytosanitary certificate;
- The packing certificate issued by the relevant brigade;
- All cargo supporting documents mentioned above.
- Boarding and post boarding procedures
- Loading of container on the ship.
- The maritime bill of lading is available from the ship owner 48 hours the loading of the goods.
- Clearance of the Customs Export Declaration along with F01 Form (at the Customs Services and with the NCCB workers.
- Readjustment of royalties; in case of a difference in weight between the Weighing Certificate and the announced weight – Payment of the gap to NCCB. It should be noted that NCCB reconciles the liquidated weight and the weight on board quarterly. Thus, after the necessary adjustments made with the Customs administration, the agricultural levies and export duties owed by the exporter due to the deviations concerned are paid by the latter before its next export.
- Obtaining Certificate of Origin
The Certificate of Origin, co-signed by the NCCB and Customs Administration, is established on the basis of the weight actually shipped, and after verification of actual payment of agricultural levies and export duties.
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