By Ange Aboa and Loucoumane Coulibaly
ABIDJAN (Reuters) - Ivory Coast's cocoa and banking sectors are set to resume operations within days, officials said on Tuesday, signalling big steps toward restoring normality in the conflict-torn West African state.
A violent post-election power struggle paralyzed the economy of the world's top cocoa grower for months, leaving Ivorians to scramble for daily survival in the midst of heavy combat and sending shockwaves through global cocoa markets.
"The (regional central bank) BCEAO is open," Souleymane Diarrassouba, vice president of the Ivorian Banking Professionals' Association, told Reuters. "It has made all arrangements to supply the banks with bills."
He added that the majority of workers at the nation's private banks, which include Societe Generale, BNP Paribas and Citibank, were also back at work after banks shut their doors months ago.
Officials at the banks were not immediately available to comment, though a source at Societe Generale who asked not to be named said the bank could reopen to customers as early as Thursday.
Ivory Coast's cocoa industry, the country's main economic engine, could also resume export shipments in days once a dispute over customs duty arrangements is settled, the industry body said on Tuesday.
Exporters at a meeting in commercial capital Abidjan said customs authorities were demanding payment in cash of the so-called DUS export tax rather than accepting cheques, while the local banking system is still not operating.
"We insisted, but Customs demanded that it be paid in cash. In any case, I am hopeful that things will be sorted out today," Eric Koffi, director of operations for the CGFCC body, said.
Later he added to Reuters: "The first exports will take place in a few days. We are operational, but there remain a few problems with exporters."
FUEL CRUNCH
The refusal of ex-president Laurent Gbagbo to quit after a November 28 election was judged to have been won by rival Alassane Ouattara triggered a violent crisis in which over 1,500 died, hundreds of thousands were torn from their homes and economy of the world's top cocoa producer ground to a halt.
Ivory Coast typically produces about 1.2 million tonnes of cocoa per year, or roughly a third of the global total.
Gbagbo was forcibly removed from office on April 11 by Ouattara forces backed by French and U.N. troops and is now under house arrest somewhere in the north of the country.
Residents of Abidjan said on Tuesday they were eager to get back to work after the conflict, but there were still obstacles including a lack of fuel after the ports and national refinery had been shut.
"Work is restarting but we need a way to get around," said Francis Kanga, who works at cocoa industry regulator BCC. "We need to be able to buy fuel."
Following a de facto trade embargo on Ivorian cocoa, around 460,000 tonnes are being held in storage awaiting export as fears grow that the quality of beans is suffering.
Koffi said formalities would be streamlined to allow exports to begin as quickly as possible, with the registration process being reduced from 72 hours to less than 24, a waiver on penalties for late exports, and more rapid quality control.
"The final quality of the cocoa will have to be reflected in the contracts ... there will be limits on the quality of cocoa but we will apply quite a wide limit," he said.
Exporters said the more immediate problem, however, was the customs authorities' insistence on cash payment of export taxes.
"If that is the case, we won't be able to export now," said one exporter who declined to be named.
(Source: http://af.reuters.com/article/topNews/idAFJOE73P0HX20110426?sp=true)
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