COFFEE now sells higher that COCOA
By Mesumbe Nelly
Robusta coffee prices in Cameroon has surpassed cocoa for the first time from March 3, 2026, both at export and at the farmgate level, marking a historic shift in a long-standing price relationship in which cocoa had consistently traded above robusta.
The two commodities first traded at the same price on Feb. 18, 2026. Since then, the gap has widened in robusta’s favor.
According to data from the Système d’information des filières (SIF), a market information system overseen by the National Cocoa and Coffee Board (NCCB), robusta’s FOB price at the port of Douala stood at 2,074 CFA francs per kilogram on March 3. In producing regions, the crop was trading between 1,600 and 1,650 CFA francs per kilogram.
Cocoa, by comparison, was priced at 1,521 CFA francs per kilogram at the port of Douala and between 1,050 and 1,150 CFA francs per kilogram at the farmgate. Robusta thus commands a premium of at least 500 CFA francs per kilogram over cocoa, both at export and at the farmgate.
The shift reflects the challenges facing the cocoa sector since the start of the 2025-2026 crop season. After peaking at up to 6,000 CFA francs per kilogram during the 2023-2024 season and reaching a high of 5,400 CFA francs the following season, cocoa is currently trading at around 1,000 CFA francs per kilogram in producing regions, according to the SIF. That trajectory falls well short of official forecasts: the government had projected prices of between 3,200 and 5,400 CFA francs per kilogram for the current season.
The gap between actual prices and projections reflects global market conditions, according to commodity market analysts. World cocoa production is expected to post a surplus in the 2025-2026 season, extending a trend that began in 2024-2025 after three consecutive years of deficits. The supply increase is expected to be driven in part by Ecuador, which could overtake Ghana as the world’s second-largest cocoa producer as early as this season. Analysts say the anticipated surplus should weigh on bean prices throughout the season, both internationally and in producing countries, including Cameroon.