(Business in Cameroon) – Cocoa plantations in Cameroon’s Littoral region nearly tripled between 2019 and 2023, according to a recent regional statistical yearbook published by the National Institute of Statistics (INS).
The report indicates that cocoa plantations in the Littoral region covered 97,304 hectares in 2023, a significant increase from just 33,820 hectares in 2019. This expansion marks the creation of 63,484 hectares of new cocoa plantations over a five-year period.
INS statistics further show that an average of 26,202 hectares of new cocoa plantations were established annually in the region between 2021 and 2022, and again between 2022 and 2023. During these same periods, regional cocoa bean production saw an average increase of just over 6,500 tonnes per year, according to the public statistics office. Overall, production nearly doubled from 25,900 tonnes in 2019 to 48,946 tonnes of cocoa beans in 2023.
The slower growth rate in production compared to the rapid expansion of new plantations in the Littoral region during the review period is attributed to the maturation time required for new crops. Cocoa sector stakeholders explain that new plantations typically reach full production only after at least 18 months, depending on the quality of the plants used.
The surge in interest in cocoa cultivation in the Littoral region ,and likely across the country, is largely due to the sustained increase in cocoa prices in recent years. For nearly a decade, the average price per kilogram in Cameroon’s production basins has hovered around 1,000 CFA francs. This sustained pricing, driven by the reorganization of bean marketing and the establishment of grouped sales operations favoring auctions, has positioned Cameroonian producers as among the highest paid globally, a point frequently highlighted by Trade Minister Luc Magloire Mbarga Atangana.
A New Generation of Producers
During the 2023-2024 cocoa season, Cameroon achieved an unprecedented record for producer compensation, with prices soaring to 6,000 CFA francs per kilogram. This elevated price level has largely continued into the ongoing 2024-2025 campaign, which is theoretically set to conclude next July, with grouped sales still yielding cocoa bean prices exceeding 5,000 CFA francs per kilogram.
Beyond improved producer prices, the increasing enthusiasm among farmers in the Littoral region for cocoa cultivation can also be linked to various support mechanisms provided by both the cocoa-coffee interprofessional board and the government. A notable example is the “New Generation” program, launched in 2012 by the Interprofessional Council of Cocoa and Coffee (CICC), to address the aging demographic of producers and plantations.
This program identifies young individuals interested in cocoa farming and provides them with three years of specialized training at dedicated centers. Upon completion of the training, which covers all aspects of cocoa cultivation, bean processing, and marketing, the CICC furnishes participants with all necessary resources (excluding land) to establish at least three hectares of plantations each. This program, benefiting from international partnerships, has been a significant contributor to the recent increase in cultivated areas and cocoa production in Cameroon.
Brice R. Mbodiam
