By Faridat Salifu
Cameroon’s cocoa industry is facing a major earnings setback after lower international prices and reduced export volumes wiped out hundreds of billions of CFA francs in revenue during the 2025-2026 season.
Cocoa bean exports through the Port of Douala generated CFA400.9 billion between August 1, 2025 and July 15, 2026, according to figures from the National Cocoa and Coffee Board (ONCC). The figure represents a steep decline from the CFA1.07 trillion recorded during the previous season.
The latest figures were released in Yaoundé on August 6 as authorities officially opened the 2026-2027 cocoa season.
The revenue collapse was not caused by prices alone. Cameroon also shipped considerably less cocoa during the period, with exports falling to 125,468 tons from 192,013 tons a year earlier.
That represents a reduction of 66,545 tons, equivalent to a 34.65% decline.
At the same time, export prices suffered an even sharper correction. Cocoa sold on a free-on-board basis at Douala was valued between CFA1,520 and CFA3,110 per kilogram during the latest season, compared with CFA3,808 to CFA7,536 per kilogram in 2024-2025.
The downturn follows a period of exceptionally high cocoa prices, when supply shortages pushed the global market to record levels.
Global production has since recovered, creating a surplus for the second consecutive season. With supply now exceeding demand, prices have retreated, putting pressure on producers and exporters across cocoa-producing countries.
Cameroon’s farmers have also seen the reversal in prices. Farmgate prices ranged from CFA700 to CFA4,300 per kilogram during the 2025-2026 season, far below the CFA3,210 to CFA5,400 range recorded the previous year.
The decline is particularly striking compared with the CFA6,000 per kilogram record reached during the 2023-2024 season.
The weaker cocoa market could also change Cameroon’s export rankings. Cocoa beans became the country’s leading export product in 2025, overtaking crude oil after the international price surge boosted earnings.
According to the National Institute of Statistics, cocoa accounted for 26.3% of Cameroon’s export revenue that year, while crude oil contributed 22.9%.
With cocoa earnings now sharply lower, the commodity could struggle to maintain its position as the country’s leading export in 2026.
Despite the decline in earnings, Cameroon continues to depend heavily on European buyers. Europe absorbed 84.67% of the country’s raw cocoa exports during the latest season, equivalent to 113,528 tons, with the Netherlands remaining the leading destination.
Asia purchased 19,107 tons, representing 14.24% of exports, while African markets accounted for only 1.13%, or 1,515 tons.
The latest figures underline the vulnerability of Cameroon’s cocoa earnings to movements in both production and global prices, after the sector benefited significantly from the record-price boom of recent years.
