The 17.6% contraction represents a net loss of 900 million FCFA for operators in the sector. The sector's decline is part of a global erosion of the country's external trade, with a total of 606.9 billion FCFA in the first quarter, marking a 23.6% decline compared to the 794 billion FCFA recorded at the beginning of 2025.

The decline in market values is due to the easing of international purchase prices observed on commodity exchanges. During the first three months of the year, the price of Arabica coffee fell by 17.4% to $7.37 per kilogram, while the Robusta variety suffered a sharp decline of 31.5%, falling to $3.90 per kilogram. The increase in global production, projected at 179 million bags for the 2025-2026 campaign, representing a 2% increase, is exacerbating the available supply and maintaining the downward trend in prices. The World Bank thus anticipates stable average annual prices around $7.25 for Arabica and $4 for Robusta.

The negative inflection of global markets is affecting a domestic productive dynamic that is nonetheless in a phase of recovery. During the 2024-2025 agricultural campaign, the volume commercialized on national territory had increased by 9.9% to reach 11,637 tons, driven by a 150.9% surge in Arabica production, which was set at 1,260 tons, and a 2.8% increase in Robusta production, which was set at 10,377 tons. The average remunerative tariff granted to local farmers had risen to 2,055 FCFA per kilogram, representing a 33.3% increase. The current decline in international prices now threatens to erode the margins of exporters and undermine the upward spiral of rural incomes.

The vulnerability of cash crops to external price shocks highlights the urgency of strengthening local processing of coffee beans to extract more added value before export to consumer markets. The 10.6% decline recorded by the global index of basic products exported by Cameroon in March 2026 underscores the fragility of a commercial model still dependent on raw agricultural products. A targeted industrialization strategy for the sector will enable the stabilization of farmers' incomes in the face of global price instability.


Asaba

Tags: café exportations cameroun économie marché mondial prix internationaux agriculture industrialisation commerce extérieur