The Cameroonian cocoa sector is experiencing a period of turmoil, marked by high price volatility. After a spectacular surge, prices have plummeted, weakening producers and highlighting the limitations of an outward-looking economic model. In response to this situation, Lisette Claudia Tame Njambe, head of Africa Processing Company SA, is advocating for a structural transformation of the sector, focused on local processing and a better redistribution of value.
The recent crisis has revealed the exposure of producing economies to external shocks when they do not control the entire value chain. The price per kilogram of beans has plummeted from 4,800 to 800 FCFA in a few months, wiping out the hopes of many producers. This volatility highlights the fragility of the current economic model, where producers, an essential link, remain the most vulnerable.
A first avenue for reform concerns fiscal policy. According to manufacturers, the recent increase in export taxes risks increasing the pressure on producers. Lisette Claudia Tame Njambe warns of the risk of cocoa farmers paying the price, leading to a drop in production and weakening Cameroon's position on the international market. It is therefore crucial to preserve the competitiveness of Cameroonian cocoa while ensuring decent incomes for farmers.
The redistribution of value within the sector is another essential lever. As processing industries absorb a growing share of national production, the question of the price paid to farmers remains crucial. Lisette Claudia Tame Njambe insists on the need to impose a floor price on manufacturers, thus guaranteeing fair remuneration for producers. She stresses that farmers remain the poor relations of the sector, despite the efforts of some companies like Africa Processing Company to adopt more equitable purchasing practices.
However, local processing appears to be the real long-term solution. Exporting raw beans means giving up added value. Developing processing units, even on a small scale, would stabilize incomes and mitigate the effects of global price fluctuations. Lisette Claudia Tame Njambe proposes the establishment of units accessible to cooperatives and producers, capable of producing semi-finished products for manufacturers.
The current crisis reveals the limitations of an extroverted model that creates little local value. The industrialization of African economies, and in particular the local processing of cocoa, is essential to ensure sustainable and inclusive growth. By processing its production, Cameroon can secure a prime position on the global cocoa market.
Beyond price support, it is imperative to rethink the structure of the cocoa sector. Wealth is not decreed; it is built through transformation.
