For the first time ever, the price of robusta coffee has surpassed that of cocoa in Cameroon, signaling a significant shift in the country's export commodity hierarchy. This reversal occurred on March 3, 2026, affecting both export prices and the prices offered to producers.
The Système d’information des filières (SIF), managed by the Office national du cacao et du café (ONCC), revealed that the FOB (Free on board) price of robusta reached FCFA 2,074/kg at the port of Douala on March 3, 2026. In production regions, the price ranges from FCFA 1,600 to FCFA 1,650/kg. In comparison, cocoa was trading at FCFA 1,521/kg at the port of Douala and between FCFA 1,050 and FCFA 1,150/kg in the production basins. Thus, robusta coffee shows a lead of at least FCFA 500/kg over cocoa.
This situation reflects the difficulties the cocoa sector has been experiencing since the start of the 2025-2026 season. After peaking at FCFA 6,000/kg during the 2023-2024 season, and then at FCFA 5,400/kg the following season, cocoa is currently trading at around FCFA 1,000/kg in the production basins, according to the SIF. These figures are well below the government's expectations, which forecast prices between FCFA 3,200 and FCFA 5,400/kg for this season.
Analysts attribute this discrepancy to international market conditions. Global cocoa production is expected to be in surplus in 2025-2026, extending a trend that began in 2024-2025 after three years of deficit. Ecuador, in particular, is expected to increase its production and potentially dethrone Ghana as the world's second-largest producer. This oversupply is expected to keep cocoa prices under pressure, both internationally and in Cameroon.
In 2024-2025, Cameroon produced 309,000 tonnes of cocoa. The country aims to locally process 50% of its cocoa production, a goal enshrined in its cocoa-coffee sector development strategy since 2019. In parallel, the country is implementing a system of premiums based on the quality of the beans to improve producer incomes.
