Cameroon’s cocoa farmers are ending the 2025/2026 marketing season on a stronger note after farmgate cocoa prices climbed to a season-high of CFA2,250 per kilogram, marking the highest level recorded during the current campaign and providing a welcome income boost ahead of the official close of the harvest.
According to the latest market data published by Cameroon’s National Cocoa and Coffee Board (ONCC), producer prices have risen steadily over recent weeks, with cocoa selling between CFA2,100 and CFA2,250 per kilogram in major producing regions. The increase represents a significant recovery from price levels recorded earlier in the season and reflects improving demand for Cameroonian cocoa as the marketing year draws to a close.
The rebound comes after a challenging campaign in which prices remained well below the exceptional highs witnessed during the previous two seasons. In the 2023/2024 campaign, farmgate cocoa prices surged to record levels of around CFA6,000 per kilogram before easing to approximately CFA5,400 during the 2024/2025 season. Expectations had therefore been high at the beginning of the current campaign, with authorities projecting producer prices between CFA3,200 and CFA5,400 per kilogram. However, improved global cocoa supplies and weaker international prices prevented those forecasts from materialising.
Despite falling short of those earlier projections, the latest rally has been welcomed by producers across Cameroon’s cocoa-growing regions. The rise in farmgate prices is expected to improve household incomes for thousands of farming families who depend on cocoa as their primary source of revenue.
Market analysts attribute the latest increase to stronger buying activity from exporters seeking to secure supplies before the marketing season officially concludes in mid-July. As available stocks become more limited toward the end of the harvest, competition among buyers has intensified, helping to push producer prices above the symbolic CFA2,000 threshold for the first time this season.
Cameroon remains one of Africa’s leading cocoa producers and exporters, with the crop serving as one of the country’s most valuable agricultural exports. Cocoa generates substantial foreign exchange earnings while supporting hundreds of thousands of rural households through farming, transportation, processing and export activities.
Although farmers are benefiting from the recent recovery, global cocoa market conditions remain far different from the supply shortages that drove prices to historic highs in previous years. International production is gradually recovering following several consecutive seasons of deficits caused by adverse weather, crop disease and declining harvests in major producing countries, particularly Côte d’Ivoire and Ghana. As production improves, global cocoa prices have become more stable, reducing upward pressure on producer prices across West and Central Africa.
Industry observers note that Cameroon’s cocoa sector has shown resilience despite the more moderate pricing environment. Continued improvements in bean quality and post-harvest handling have helped preserve the country’s reputation among international buyers, supporting demand for Cameroonian cocoa even as global market conditions evolve.
The government has also continued promoting reforms aimed at increasing production, improving quality standards and encouraging greater domestic processing of cocoa beans. Expanding local value addition remains a strategic objective, with policymakers seeking to reduce reliance on raw bean exports while creating more employment opportunities through chocolate manufacturing and cocoa processing industries.
Analysts believe the current price recovery offers some relief to farmers but also highlights the volatility that characterises global commodity markets. Producer prices remain heavily influenced by international futures markets, weather conditions in competing producing countries, global inventories and shifting demand from major chocolate manufacturers.
Looking ahead, attention is already turning toward preparations for the next cocoa campaign, which begins later this year. Farmers will closely monitor weather conditions, disease management programmes and international market trends, all of which are expected to influence prices during the 2026/2027 season.
For now, the rise to CFA2,250 per kilogram provides an encouraging end to a difficult marketing year. While prices remain well below the record highs experienced during the cocoa boom of recent seasons, the latest gains offer improved returns for producers and reinforce cocoa’s importance as one of Cameroon’s most significant agricultural exports. With harvest activities nearing completion, the strong finish may help strengthen farmer confidence ahead of the next production cycle while supporting rural incomes across the country’s key cocoa-producing regions.
