The launch of Cameroon’s 2025-2026 coffee season was due to be held on Jan. 16, 2026, in Batidoum, a production hub in the East region.
Ahead of the event, Commerce Minister Luc Magloire Mbarga Atangana issued a statement on Jan. 13, 2026, reviewing the results of the previous campaign, which officially ended on Sept. 15, 2025, for Arabica coffee and Nov. 15, 2025, for Robusta.
According to figures cited by the minister, the 2024-2025 coffee campaign recorded gains in both production and the prices paid to farmers. Marketed volumes rose to 11,637 tonnes from 10,592 tonnes in 2023-2024, an increase of 9.86%.
Producer prices also increased. Arabica prices climbed to 2,854 CFA francs per kilogram from 2,375, while Robusta rose to 1,959 from 1,500 CFA francs per kilogram. These changes represent increases of 20.16% and 30.6%, respectively, the minister said.
He added that the new season could bring further improvements, particularly in farmgate prices, as international coffee prices continue to strengthen. The trend is being driven by strong demand and tighter supply, with output constrained by climate-related disruptions, he said.
The minister outlined the government’s priorities for the 2025-2026 campaign. In addition to building on recent gains, the authorities plan to strengthen local processing and boost domestic consumption. The approach aligns with Cameroon's National Development Strategy 2020-2030 and aims to help the country seize opportunities under the African Continental Free Trade Area.
A sector still in decline
Despite last season’s improvement and the expectations surrounding the 2025-2026 campaign, Cameroon’s coffee sector has been weakening for years. Despite various promotion projects and programs launched by the government and the Cocoa and Coffee Interprofessional Council (CICC), the country remains far from its targets of 125,000 tonnes of Robusta and 35,000 tonnes of Arabica per year.
Those targets have been in place since 2020 under the recovery plan for the cocoa and coffee sectors adopted in 2014 by the government and industry stakeholders.
Industry players cite several factors behind the sector’s slowdown, including the effects of climate change and a lack of interest among farmers discouraged by purchase prices considered too low. Together, these constraints continue to weigh on national output. Cameroon produced about 130,000 tonnes of coffee in the 1990s, but output fell to less than a tenth of that level during the 2024-2025 campaign.
Stronger momentum in local processing
The decline in coffee production contrasts with stronger momentum in local processing. Unlike the cocoa sector, where processing is largely controlled by foreign multinationals, coffee roasting in Cameroon is dominated by local operators. Many have won international awards for product quality, positioning Cameroonian coffee as a potential lever for expanding exports.
For now, however, Cameroon remains a marginal player in global trade. With a market share of 0.1% over the 2018-2022 period, the country ranked as the world’s 54th-largest coffee exporter by volume, according to the Competitiveness Committee.
Data from the committee, a think tank under the Ministry of Economy, show that Cameroonian coffee is particularly popular in Algeria, France, Belgium and Portugal. Together, these four markets accounted for 62.9% of the country’s coffee exports in 2022.
Brice R. Mbodiam