After several weeks of increases, the price of robusta coffee, the most widely grown variety in Cameroon, has experienced a decline. The Système d'information des filières (SIF), the national body monitoring cocoa and coffee prices, indicated that on March 16, 2026, the price of a kilogram of robusta at the port of Douala was at most 1,914 FCFA. This figure represents a decrease of 160 FCFA compared to the peak of 2,074 FCFA reached on March 3, 2026.
In the producing regions, the SIF reported that the same quantity of cherries was selling for between 1,300 and 1,400 FCFA on March 16, a decrease of 250 to 300 FCFA compared to the range of 1,600 to 1,650 FCFA observed during the previous two weeks.
Despite this decline, robusta remains more expensive than cocoa. On March 16, the price at shipment of a kilogram of cocoa beans was 1,760 FCFA, compared to 1,521 FCFA on March 3, 2026. In the production regions, the kilogram was selling for between 1,100 and 1,200 FCFA, a slight increase compared to the range of 1,050 to 1,150 FCFA recorded during the previous two weeks.
These prices reflect the difficulties encountered by the cocoa sector since the start of the 2025-2026 season. After peaking at 6,000 FCFA/kg during the 2023-2024 season, and then at 5,400 FCFA/kg the following season, cocoa is currently selling for around 1,000 FCFA/kg in the production areas, according to the SIF. These figures are well below the government's forecasts, which were banking on prices of between 3,200 and 5,400 FCFA/kg for this season.
Several market analysts believe that this gap between observed and forecast prices is due to the global economic situation. World cocoa production is expected to be in surplus for the 2025-2026 season, thus prolonging the recovery begun in 2024-2025 after three deficit-ridden seasons. Ecuador, in particular, is expected to stimulate this improvement in supply, thus threatening Ghana's position as the world's second-largest producer from this season onwards. Analysts predict that this surplus will weigh on bean prices throughout the campaign, both internationally and in producing countries such as Cameroon.
On March 3, 2026, robusta coffee crossed an important milestone in the Cameroonian market by exceeding the price of cocoa, both for export and at the level of prices paid to producers. On February 18, 2026, the two products had reached the same price level for the first time. Since then, the gap has widened in favor of robusta, marking a break with a long-standing hierarchy in which cocoa systematically surpassed robusta coffee.
With the aim of helping cocoa and coffee producers, Cameroon's Cocoa and Coffee Development Fund (Fodecc) plans to distribute 4 billion FCFA (approximately $7.2 million) in subsidies to producers in 2026. These funds are intended to improve yields and address problems related to pests and planting constraints. The stated objective is to reach 500,000 registered producers by December 2026, which would require faster enrollment and greater processing capacity under the program.
