In 2024, the United States emerged as the leading destination for Cameroon’s cocoa paste exports shipped by sea, both in volume and value. According to a market report from Cameroon’s National Shippers’ Council, the U.S. imported 18,018 tons of cocoa paste worth CFA75 billion, accounting for 33% of the 61,527 tons exported by Cameroon and 37% of the CFA210 billion in annual export revenue.
The increase reflects a broader rise in cocoa paste exports, supported by expanding local processing capacity and favorable international market conditions in 2024.
Intense competition in the U.S. market
The National Shippers’ Council reported a 115.5% increase in export value and a 24.5% rise in volume compared with 2023. The performance placed Cameroon as the world’s seventh-largest exporter of cocoa paste in 2024. In the U.S. market, however, Cameroon ranked only as the fourth-largest supplier, accounting for 8% of the value of American cocoa paste imports, behind Côte d’Ivoire, Canada, and Ghana.
The report also highlighted price disparities across destinations. The Netherlands (CFA4,562 per kilogram) and Poland (CFA4,569 per kilogram) offered higher prices for Cameroonian cocoa paste than the United States, raising trade-offs between export volumes and unit prices.
New grinders and rising industrial capacity
The 2024 performance was also supported by an increase in national cocoa production, estimated at 309,518 tons, and a sharp rise in global cocoa prices, up 123.4% over the year. Growth in cocoa paste and derivative products has been reinforced by the arrival of new cocoa grinders, including Neo Industry, Atlantic Cocoa, and Africa Processing, as well as capacity expansions by existing players such as SIC Cacaos, a subsidiary of Switzerland’s Barry Callebaut.
According to Cameroon’s National Cocoa and Coffee Board, these combined investments boosted local processing to a record 109,431 tons during the 2024–2025 cocoa season, in line with the country’s strategy to move up the value chain beyond raw bean exports.
Exposure to price swings and tariffs
Despite this progress, the shift toward higher-value cocoa products remains exposed to price volatility. A projected surplus in global cocoa supply could lead to a sharp decline in prices, with a direct impact on foreign exchange earnings.
Trade policy adds another layer of risk. The United States introduced reciprocal tariffs of 15% in August 2025, and the National Shippers’ Council warned that Cameroonian cocoa paste exports, the country’s main product shipped to the U.S., could generate lower revenues during the 2025–2026 season.
Between August and November 2025, export volumes reportedly fell from 6,804 tons in 2024 to 6,119 tons in 2025. Revenues followed the same trend, declining from CFA43.1 billion to CFA34.6 billion, underscoring the negative impact of tariffs on export earnings.
Frédéric Nonos
