At launch of 2025/2026 coffee season: Trade minister reveals record farmgate prices in years.

The event, held on January 16, brought together senior government officials, administrative authorities, coffee producers and sector stakeholders. 

Among the personalities present were the Minister of Public Service and Administrative Reform, Joseph Le, and the Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, Gabriel Mbaïrobe.

Addressing coffee growers after remarks by the Mayor of Doumaintang and the Minister of Agriculture, the Minister of Trade reviewed the evolution of Cameroon’s coffee sector over the past decade. 

He recalled that during the 2015/2016 campaign, a kilogramme of coffee was sold at farmgate prices ranging between 300 FCFA and 400 FCFA, levels then considered favourable for producers.

According to official figures presented at the ceremony, the 2024/2025 coffee campaign closed with weighted average prices of 2,854 FCFA per kilogramme for Arabica coffee and 1,959 FCFA per kilogramme for Robusta coffee. 

These figures represent increases of 20.16 percent and 30.06 percent respectively, compared with the previous season. The data indicates a sevenfold increase in producer prices over a ten-year period.

The Minister of Trade attributed the price increases to international advocacy aimed at improving producer incomes and restoring balance within the global coffee value chain. 

He stated that actions undertaken at the highest level of the State had contributed to fairer revenue distribution among actors in the sector, from producers to exporters.

The Ministry of Trade also pointed to transparency measures and favourable economic indicators as factors supporting confidence in the outlook for the ongoing 2025/2026 campaign.

During the ceremony, young people were encouraged to invest in coffee farming, with reference made to findings presented by Prof Jeffrey D. Sachs of Columbia University at the first World Coffee Producers Forum held in Medellín, Colombia, in July 2017.

According to the study cited, climate change is expected to reduce coffee production in several major producing countries, while limiting future production in Africa to a smaller number of countries, including Cameroon.

Robusta centre of excellence inaugurated

The highlight of the event was the inauguration of the Baditoum Robusta Coffee Centre of Excellence. Located in a production area known for quality output, the facility applies innovative processing methods aimed at producing defect-free specialty coffee.

Authorities said coffee from the centre is already attracting international market interest, with prices ranging between 3,500 FCFA and 4,000 FCFA per kilogramme, depending on quality and order specifications. Demand reportedly exceeds the current production capacity of the facility.

The centre was built by the Government through the Cocoa and Coffee Interprofessional Council, CICC, for the benefit of producers. Officials indicated that similar centres and on-site processing units are expected to be extended across coffee-producing basins, following a model already being implemented in the cocoa sector.

This article was first published in The Guardian Post Edition No:3679 of Tuesday January 20, 2026