(Business in Cameroon) – Agricultural export prices in Central African Economic and Monetary Community (CEMAC) countries fell by 10.3% between the second and third quarters of 2025, according to data from the Bank of Central African States (BEAC). The decline, sharper than the 7.9% drop recorded between the first two quarters, was mainly driven by falling global prices for cocoa, coffee, and tobacco, the central bank said in its Composite Commodity Price Index (ICCPB).
The report noted that the decline reflected weaker prices across most agricultural markets, with the steepest drops recorded for cocoa (-13.9%), coffee (-8.9%), rice (-7.4%), and tobacco (-6.7%). By contrast, palm oil (+7.2%), beef (+2.4%), and cotton (+0.3%) saw modest price increases.
Cocoa posted the largest decline, signaling the end of a price rally that followed three years of supply shortages. The expected surplus in the 2025–2026 crop year is likely to intensify pressure on global prices, marking the start of a sustained correction after the sharp rise seen since 2022.
Published quarterly by BEAC, the ICCPB tracks the prices of 20 commodities exported by the six CEMAC member states—Cameroon, Congo, Gabon, Equatorial Guinea, Chad, and the Central African Republic—which together account for 90% of the region’s total export value. The reference basket includes five main categories: energy products, metals and minerals, forest products, agricultural goods, and fishery products.
