The net contraction of 17.6% represents a loss of 900 million FCFA for coffee exporters, moving in the opposite direction of raw cotton or bananas. The activity is part of a global decline in national foreign trade, with total sales falling by 23.6% to 606.9 billion FCFA, compared to 794 billion FCFA in the same period in 2025.

The deterioration in revenue is explained by the easing of global coffee prices. The kilogram of Arabica is traded on average at $7.37 in the first quarter of 2026, showing a decline of 17.4%, while the Robusta variety records a drop of 31.5% to $3.90 per kilogram. The global supply increase, estimated at 179 million bags for the 2025-2026 campaign, representing a 2% increase, as well as the exemption from American customs duties granted to Brazilian coffee, exacerbate the downward pressure. The Index of basic product prices exported by the country reflects an annual decline of 10.6% in March 2026, pulled down by a 41.7% plunge in the agricultural segment.

The shift in trend contrasts with the dynamics of the 2024-2025 campaign, where commercial production had reached 11,637 tonnes, driven by a 150.9% surge in Arabica to 1,260 tonnes and a 2.8% increase in Robusta to 10,377 tonnes. The average purchase prices for producers had risen by 33.3% to 2,055 FCFA per kilogram, reaching 2,850 FCFA for Arabica and 1,959 FCFA for Robusta. The current decline in international prices now threatens to erode the margins of intermediaries and slow down the revaluation of agricultural income in the country's production basins.


Asaba

Tags: café exportation commerce extérieur cours mondiaux fève économie agriculture marché international produits de base