CAMEROON – Cameroon has been elected chair of the International Cocoa Council for the 2024/2025 season, following a vote by cocoa-producing nations within the International Cocoa Organization (ICCO).
As the world’s fourth-largest cocoa producer, Cameroon shares a production level of 300,000 tons with Nigeria.
Together with Côte d’Ivoire and Ghana, the top four African producers account for 70.6 percent of global cocoa output, according to ICCO’s latest cocoa statistics report for the 2023/2024 season.
Cameroon’s cocoa sector has witnessed significant growth, with record-high prices marking the 2023/2024 season. Cocoa farmers have benefited from unprecedented price surges, with prices reaching as much as CFA6,300 (US$10.63) per kilogram.
This rise in prices contributed to total revenue generation of CFA488.8 billion (US$825M), up by CFA220 billion (US$371.3M) compared to the previous year.
Trade Minister Luc Magloire Mbarga Atangana highlighted the positive impact of the price increase, positioning Cameroon as a global benchmark for both quality cocoa production and fair compensation for farmers.
Atangana also revealed that a major global player in the chocolate industry had signed a purchase contract with a local cooperative at CFA5,200 (US$8.78) per kilogram, though the buyer’s identity was not disclosed.
He urged other farmers to adopt similar partnership models, which could help secure better earnings in the future.
As the 2024/2025 cocoa season began, Atangana expressed optimism, stating that all signs pointed towards maintaining or even improving the gains from the previous year.
He attributed this success to the high-quality reputation of Cameroonian cocoa, which has garnered interest from leading players in the global chocolate industry.
Cameroon’s domestic cocoa market is fully liberalized, and the increased number of commercial actors over the past decade has boosted competition, driving up prices paid to farmers.
Since 2019, the government has supported group sales of cocoa through cooperatives, based on reference prices set by the ONCC. This system allows farmers to negotiate directly with multinational companies or local processors, ensuring fair compensation for their cocoa.
However, rising cocoa prices have also brought challenges. Farmers in Cameroon are facing increased cases of cocoa theft as global production shortfalls, caused by adverse weather and plant diseases in top producers Côte d’Ivoire and Ghana.
Many farmers have resorted to employing machete-armed vigilantes to protect their crops amid growing security concerns.
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