Coffee prices paid to farmers in Cameroon rose sharply during the 2024-2025 season, while marketed output increased by nearly 10 percent, offering some relief to a sector that has struggled with long-term decline, official data showed.
The results were released ahead of the launch of the 2025-2026 coffee campaign, scheduled for January 16, 2026, in Batidoum, a key production hub in Cameroon’s East region. In a statement dated January 13, Commerce Minister Luc Magloire Mbarga Atangana reviewed performance during the previous season, which officially ended on September 15, 2025, for Arabica coffee and on November 15, 2025, for Robusta.
According to figures cited by the minister, marketed coffee volumes rose to 11,637 tonnes in the 2024-2025 campaign, up from 10,592 tonnes the previous season, representing an increase of 9.86 percent.
Farmgate prices also posted strong gains. Arabica coffee prices climbed to 2,854 CFA francs (US$4.70) per kilogram, from 2,375 CFA francs a year earlier, an increase of 20.16 percent. Robusta prices rose even more sharply, reaching 1,959 CFA francs per kilogram, compared with 1,500 CFA francs previously, a gain of 30.6 percent, the minister said.
Mbarga Atangana said the improvement reflects favourable international market conditions, marked by strong global demand and tighter supply. He added that climate-related disruptions in major producing countries have constrained output, contributing to higher prices on international markets.
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The minister said the outlook for the 2025-2026 season remains positive, particularly for producer prices, as the global coffee market continues to firm. Authorities expect the trend to help improve farmer incomes and encourage greater participation in the sector.
For the upcoming campaign, the government plans to consolidate recent gains while accelerating reforms aimed at strengthening local processing and boosting domestic consumption. These priorities align with Cameroon’s National Development Strategy 2020-2030, which seeks to reduce dependence on raw commodity exports and capture more value locally.
Officials also see opportunities under the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA), which aims to promote intra-African trade by lowering tariff and non-tariff barriers. Improved competitiveness in coffee could help Cameroon expand its presence in regional markets, they said.
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Sector still under pressure
Despite the recent rebound, Cameroon’s coffee sector remains structurally weak after decades of decline. Production levels remain far below government targets of 125,000 tonnes of Robusta and 35,000 tonnes of Arabica per year, objectives that have been in place since 2020 under a recovery plan adopted in 2014 by the government and industry stakeholders.
Industry players cite several factors behind the prolonged downturn, including the effects of climate change, ageing plantations and a lack of interest among farmers discouraged by prices long viewed as unremunerative. Limited access to financing and inputs has also constrained productivity, they say.
As a result, national output has collapsed over the past three decades. Cameroon produced about 130,000 tonnes of coffee in the 1990s, but output fell to less than a tenth of that level during the 2024-2025 campaign, according to official estimates.
Processing shows stronger momentum
The weakness in primary production contrasts with stronger momentum in local coffee processing. Unlike the cocoa sector, where processing is largely dominated by foreign multinationals, coffee roasting and branding in Cameroon are mainly controlled by local operators.
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Several Cameroonian roasters have gained international recognition for product quality, winning awards that have helped raise the profile of the country’s specialty coffees. Authorities see this segment as a potential lever for increasing export revenues and creating jobs, even as raw bean output remains limited.
However, Cameroon remains a marginal player in the global coffee trade. With a market share of just 0.1% over the 2018-2022 period, the country ranked as the world’s 54th-largest coffee exporter by volume, according to data from the Competitiveness Committee, a think tank under the Ministry of Economy.
The committee’s figures show that Cameroonian coffee exports are concentrated in a small number of markets. Algeria, France, Belgium and Portugal together accounted for 62.9 percengt of exports in 2022, highlighting both established trade links and limited diversification.
Officials say sustaining higher prices, reviving production and scaling up processing will be critical if Cameroon is to reverse the sector’s long-term decline and secure a more meaningful place in regional and global coffee markets.
