Cameroon is topping regional cocoa bean prices at 5,000 CFA Francs ($8.59) a kg in exchanges, despite a worldwide slump.
According to a Cocoaradar report, the nation pays better rates than neighbors Ivory Coast, Nigeria and Ghana.
The National Cocoa and Coffee Board (ONCC) meanwhile reported the export price at 3,890 CFA Francs ($6.68) a kg on September 10, 2025.
In its part, the FOB (Free-on-Board) price averaged 3,801 CFA Francs ($6.53) a kg, indicating high grower earnings.
These strong rates come despite a 2024-25 cocoa harvest increase in Cameroon by 42,808 tonnes annually, to 309,518 tonnes.
Uptick exports replenishing global shortages have made Cameroon’s farmers “the best-paid in the world,”said the Minister of Commerce Mbarga Atangana.
The minister related that growers generated 1.2 trillion CFA Francs ($2.061 billion) in the 2024-25 season from cocoa sales.
Regional and Global Prices
Comparably, the 2025-26 season’s rate in Ghana is 51,660 cedi (4,784) a tonne, which the Cocoa Board (COCOBOD) announced August 4, 2025.
Globally, cocoa futures in New York and London both fell on September 10 to the highest daily price lows in a month.
While New York dispensed with 3.16% day-on-day to $7,226 per tonne (t), London registered a 2.04% decline, to £5,045 ($6,814)/t.
The decrements follow positive production forecasts in West Africa, with Mondelex International rating regional production at 7% over the 2020-24 average.
While the above outlook reflects the long-term market, the short-term situation remains dire: on September 8, the Intercontinental Exchange (ICE)’s port inventories diminished to 2.13 million bags, the lowest in over 3 months.
Meanwhile, major cocoa hub Ivory Coast expects its current mid-crop harvest to slide by 9% this September, to 0.4 million tonnes.
Lowering global cocoa grindings in quarter 2, 2025 are also disarming due to lax demand occasioned by high prices. Asia cut grindings by 16.3%, Europe by 7.2% and the United States by 2.8%, quarter-to-quarter, as processors shun costs.
This is why Cameroon’s current price strength is particularly endearing, for both farmers and traders.
One such trader is @celebrity_farmer, whose advise to farmers in Ghana has lately gone viral. He said that Cameroon witnessed cocoa bean prices soar from $1/kg to over $12/kg in 2024.
Hence, cocoa beans are the “new gold” in Cameroon, where farmers are building mansions like Nigerians in Oyo State did in 2024. To learn more on the country’s cocoa profile, skim the following statistics.
Cameroon Cocoa Statistics
Cameroon is one of the major cocoa-producing nations – the fifth or sixth worldwide. In 2023, its production ranked 6th globally at 295,819 tonnes, behind leaders Ivory Coast, Ghana, Indonesia, Ecuador and Brazil. The cocoa sector supports over 500,000 citizens, according to the National Cocoa and Coffee Board (ONCC). Below is a quick summary of the West African country’s production profile in the 2019-23 period, courtesy of the FAOSTAT.
| Production Period | Total Harvest [tonnes] | Acreage [Ha] |
| 2023 | 295,819 | 598,804 |
| 2022 | 290,000 | 596,160 |
| 2021 | 295,000 | 608,385 |
| 2020 | 280,077 | 578,736 |
Where does cocoa grow in Cameroon?
Most cocoa in Cameroon grows in the southwest and central regions. The southwest leads cultivation with 43.4% while the center delivers 36.81%, annually. Runners-up include the south (9.59% cultivation share), Littoral (5.87%) and the east (3.22%).
Do Cameroonians eat much chocolate?
Despite its production largesse, Cameroon is not a major consumer of cocoa or chocolate. In 2022, for example, chocolate consumption averaged 0.17 g per person per day, in the bottom 30 worldwide.