Cocoa prices in Cameroon are hovering near 2,500 CFA francs per kilogram, remaining below the government’s official floor for the current season and raising concerns among farmers and policymakers despite signs of short-term stability in the market.
At the port of Douala, the country’s main cocoa export hub, cocoa beans were trading between 2,425 and 2,525 CFA francs per kilogram in mid-January, according to the sector information system (SIF) overseen by the National Cocoa and Coffee Board (ONCC). The prices were broadly unchanged from December levels, suggesting a pause after the volatility seen in previous campaigns.
In producing regions, farmgate prices are typically higher than port prices by around 100 to 150 CFA francs per kilogram, according to producers in Cameroon’s Centre region. Even so, many farmers say current earnings fall short of expectations and are hoping for a quick rebound as the dry season takes hold.
“The rains have eased since December, and that usually helps prices,” said a cocoa grower near Mbalmayo, referring to the seasonal shift that traditionally improves access to farms and reduces transport costs.
Industry sources say the onset of the dry season often marks the end of price discounts imposed by buyers during the rainy months. These discounts are commonly used to compensate for higher logistics costs linked to deteriorated roads and delays in moving cocoa from rural production zones to ports.
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Despite the recent stabilisation, prices remain well below the levels assumed by the government for the 2025–2026 cocoa campaign. Authorities had projected average farmgate prices ranging between 3,200 and 5,400 CFA francs per kilogram, a target that now appears increasingly difficult to achieve given current market signals.
Prices recorded in Douala are already below the government’s announced minimum threshold, highlighting a growing gap between policy ambitions and market realities. The situation reflects not only domestic factors, but also broader international trends affecting cocoa markets.
Global cocoa prices surged in recent years due to supply disruptions in major producing countries, particularly in West Africa, but have since shown signs of volatility as traders reassess demand, inventories and weather conditions. Cameroon, the world’s fifth-largest cocoa producer, remains sensitive to these global fluctuations.
Cocoa is a strategic export commodity for Cameroon and a vital source of income for hundreds of thousands of smallholder farmers. During the 2022–2023 season, a sharp rise in producer prices – which at times reached 6,000 CFA francs per kilogram – delivered a significant windfall to the sector and boosted national export revenues.
According to data from the National Institute of Statistics (INS), cocoa overtook hydrocarbons in the first quarter of 2025 to become Cameroon’s leading export product. Export earnings from cocoa reached 500.3 billion CFA francs, accounting for 44.8 percent of total export revenues over the period.
That performance strengthened the government’s resolve to support the sector through price stabilisation mechanisms and efforts to improve productivity and quality. However, the current price environment is testing those ambitions.
Analysts say that while Cameroon has benefited from strong demand in recent years, the country still faces structural challenges, including ageing plantations, limited access to financing for farmers and persistent infrastructure bottlenecks that raise production and transport costs.
The government has sought to address some of these issues through programmes aimed at renewing cocoa orchards, promoting better farming practices and improving rural roads. Officials argue that stabilising producer incomes is essential not only for farmers’ livelihoods, but also for maintaining export competitiveness.
For now, producers are watching the market closely, hoping that improved weather conditions and stronger buying activity will lift prices closer to official targets in the coming months. But with international markets showing mixed signals, there is growing uncertainty over whether the price levels envisaged at the start of the season can still be reached.
As the campaign progresses, the challenge for Cameroon will be to balance market forces with policy goals, while ensuring that cocoa farmers – long the backbone of the rural economy – are not left bearing the brunt of price pressures.
