Cameroon Coffee Prices: Arabica and Robusta Market Guide (2026)

For decades, cocoa was the king of Cameroon’s farm gates, and coffee was the poor cousin.

Then, in March 2026, something unusual happened. Robusta coffee briefly sold for more than cocoa, both at the port and on the farm.

It didn’t last. But it changed how many farmers and buyers think about coffee.

So what are Cameroon’s coffee prices right now? What’s the difference between arabica and robusta prices? And how does a price set in New York or London end up in a farmer’s hands in the Moungo or the Western highlands?

In this guide, you’ll learn:

• The latest arabica and robusta reference prices from ONCC (as of 8 October 2026)
• What farmers have been paid, and how those prices moved through 2026
• Where world coffee prices stand, and how to translate them into FCFA per kilo
• Why prices aren’t passed on one-for-one
• 7 ways to protect your income and margins

Let’s dive in.

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Summary: Cameroon Coffee Prices Right Now

• Arabica (8 October 2026, ONCC): about 3,539 FCFA/kg FOB and 3,739 FCFA/kg CIF.
• Robusta (8 October 2026, ONCC): about 1,933 FCFA/kg FOB and 2,040 FCFA/kg CIF.
• Robusta buying price (Moungo, 8 October): 1,600 to 1,700 FCFA/kg.
• World prices (early October): arabica roughly 289 to 296 US cents per lb, robusta about $3,531 per tonne.
• Biggest shift in 2026: robusta farm-gate prices jumped in early March, stalled for months around 1,200 to 1,300 FCFA, then recovered.
• The catch: I couldn’t find a current ONCC farm-gate quote for arabica, only export-level prices and last season’s averages. Details below.

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The Latest Reference Prices From ONCC

Cameroon’s cocoa and coffee board, ONCC, publishes daily reference prices. Here’s what the board’s website showed on 8 October 2026, alongside the previous reading I found:

Coffee	Price type	25 Sep 2026	8 Oct 2026
Arabica	CIF (FCFA/kg)	3,536	3,739
Arabica	FOB (FCFA/kg)	3,394	3,539
Robusta	CIF (FCFA/kg)	1,896	2,040
Robusta	FOB (FCFA/kg)	1,792	1,933
Robusta	Buying price, Moungo (FCFA/kg)	1,600 to 1,700	1,600 to 1,700

Sources: ONCC’s 25 September 2026 reading (arabica CIF 3,536 and FOB 3,394; robusta CIF 1,896 and FOB 1,792; robusta buying price in Moungo 1,600 to 1,700 FCFA/kg) and its 8 October 2026 reading (arabica CIF 3,739 and FOB 3,539; robusta CIF 2,040 and FOB 1,933; robusta buying price in Moungo 1,600 to 1,700).

A quick glossary, since these terms trip people up:

• FOB (free on board) is the price at the port of Douala, with the goods loaded on the ship.
• CIF (cost, insurance, freight) adds insurance and freight to the destination. That’s why it’s higher.
• Farm-gate or buying price is what the producer or local buyer pays in the production area.

In one fortnight, both coffees moved up by roughly 140 to 145 FCFA/kg at FOB. (Calculation is mine.)

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Arabica vs. Robusta: Why the Price Gap Is So Big

At FOB on 8 October, arabica was at 3,539 FCFA/kg and robusta at 1,933. That’s about 83% more for arabica. (Calculation is mine.)

That fits the global pattern. Arabica typically trades at a 50 to 100 percent premium over robusta.

Why? Three reasons:

1. Different crops, different places. Arabica plantations are located on the high plateau areas of the Bamileke and Bamoun regions. Robusta is the most widespread variety in Cameroon, grown in lower-lying areas.

2. Different uses. Arabica futures cover higher-grade beans grown at higher elevations, while robusta is the commercial grade used in instant coffee and many espresso blends.

3. Very different volumes. Robusta production was 10,377 tonnes in 2024/25. Total coffee production that season was 11,637 tonnes. That leaves roughly 1,260 tonnes of arabica. (Calculation is mine.) Cameroon is a small, high-value arabica origin and a larger, lower-priced robusta origin.

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What Farmers Have Been Paid

Last season’s averages and minimums

Producer prices rose from 2,375 to 2,854 FCFA/kg for arabica and from 1,500 to 1,959 FCFA/kg for robusta, increases of 20.16% and 30.6%, according to the Minister of Commerce’s January 2026 review of the past campaign.

The floor moved too. The minimum farm-gate price for robusta went from 900 FCFA/kg in 2023/24 to 1,300 FCFA/kg a year later, and for arabica from 2,025 to 2,200 FCFA/kg.

ONCC also describes the season’s ranges: prices between 2,500 and 3,500 FCFA/kg for arabica and between 1,300 and 2,500 FCFA/kg for robusta during 2024/25.

Robusta through 2026

The robusta farm-gate price has been far from steady this year:

Date	Robusta price (FCFA/kg)	Where
3 March 2026	1,600 to 1,650	production basins
15 May 2026	1,200 to 1,300	production basins
16 June 2026	1,275 to 1,400	production basins
25 Sep / 8 Oct 2026	1,600 to 1,700	Moungo (ONCC buying price)

Here’s the story behind those numbers:

• On 3 March 2026, robusta’s FOB price hit 2,074 FCFA/kg at Douala, and producers were getting 1,600 to 1,650 FCFA/kg in the production basins.
• By 15 May, the price was at 1,200 to 1,300 FCFA/kg, nearly unchanged for two months.
• On 16 June, it rose 75 to 100 FCFA to between 1,275 and 1,400, the first increase in about three months.
• By late September, ONCC listed a buying price of 1,600 to 1,700 FCFA/kg in Moungo, as shown in the table above.

Note that the ranges come from different sources and places (basins versus Moungo), so treat the comparison as indicative.

Arabica farm-gate in 2026

I wasn’t able to find an ONCC farm-gate quote for arabica in 2026. ONCC’s published reference prices for arabica are export-level (CIF and FOB). Before you publish or trade, check with ONCC or a cooperative in the West or North-West for the current farm-gate range.

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The Month Robusta Beat Cocoa

This is the most surprising chapter of Cameroon’s 2026 coffee story.

On 18 February 2026, cocoa and coffee reached the same price level for the first time. On 3 March, robusta passed cocoa, both at export and at farm-gate.

Specifically, robusta FOB was 2,074 FCFA/kg versus 1,521 for cocoa at Douala, and producers got 1,600 to 1,650 for robusta against 1,050 to 1,150 for cocoa, an advantage of at least 500 FCFA/kg. This reversed a long-standing hierarchy. The reason was a cocoa slump, not a coffee boom.

It didn’t last. Robusta’s lead over cocoa lasted only about two weeks, and from mid-March cocoa prices climbed again, nearing 2,000 FCFA before the end of the season. On ONCC’s 25 September reading, cocoa’s Douala buying price was 2,700 to 2,750 FCFA/kg, well above robusta’s 1,600 to 1,700.

The effect on the ground, though, was real. In March, ONCC listed arabica at 3,772 FCFA/kg and robusta at 2,112 FCFA/kg while cocoa was at 1,200, and one buyer explained that he’d turned to coffee because cocoa no longer paid.

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International Coffee Prices: Where the Market Stands

Cameroon’s export prices follow two world benchmarks. Arabica is traded on ICE Futures US and robusta mainly on ICE Futures Europe. Arabica is quoted in US cents per pound, and robusta in US dollars per tonne.

The latest numbers (early October 2026)

• Arabica: closed at $2.93 per pound (293.35 US cents) on 5 October 2026, with a 52-week range of $2.44 to $4.23. By 6 October it was trading around 288.72 cents per pound.
• Robusta: rose 3.55% to $3,531 per metric ton on 30 September, while arabica gained 2.4% to $2.964 per pound, boosted partly by possible quality problems with Brazil’s 2026 crop linked to El Niño humidity.
• ICO indicator prices: the composite indicator averaged 260.93 US cents per pound over 5 to 8 October, with robustas averaging 168.26.

Analysts were wrong (so far)

Here’s a useful reminder about forecasts. In a Reuters survey of 11 analysts in late March, arabica was expected to end 2026 at 225 cents per pound and robusta at $2,500 per tonne. At the time, arabica was at 307.65 cents and robusta at $3,596. In early October, both are still far above those year-end forecasts.

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How World Prices Reach Cameroon: A Quick Translation

Let’s convert the world price into FCFA per kilo and compare it with ONCC’s FOB price.

The exchange rate. ONCC’s conversions in March imply about 565 FCFA per US dollar (2,074 FCFA was reported as about 3.68 USD, and 3,772 FCFA as 6.67 USD). I’ll use 565.

Arabica:

• $2.93 per pound × 2.2046 = about $6.46 per kg
• $6.46 × 565 ≈ 3,650 FCFA/kg
• ONCC’s FOB on 8 October: 3,539, or about 97% of the futures-implied price

Robusta:

• $3,531 per tonne = $3.53 per kg
• $3.53 × 565 ≈ 1,995 FCFA/kg
• ONCC’s FOB on 8 October: 1,933, again about 97%

(All calculations are mine, mixing dates a few days apart, so treat them as approximate.)

What this tells you: Cameroon’s FOB price tracks futures closely, within a few percent. The big leakage happens between the port and the farm.

Farm-gate versus FOB

For robusta on 8 October, the Moungo buying price of 1,600 to 1,700 against an FOB of 1,933 means producers’ side was around 83 to 88% of FOB. (Calculation is mine.) More broadly, analysis of the 2025/26 campaign found producers received between 51 and 94% of FOB prices depending on production basin.

That’s a very wide spread, and it’s where negotiation matters most.

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Production, Exports and Why Prices Matter

The price story sits against a weak production backdrop.

• Output: production was 11,637 tonnes in 2024/25.
• Targets still unmet: the country struggles to reach its goal of producing 125,000 tonnes of robusta and 35,000 tonnes of arabica a year, with industry players blaming climate change and producers’ loss of interest because of low purchase prices.
• Exports: robusta exports generated 3.5 billion FCFA, up 300%, and arabica export revenue quadrupled in 2025 to 3.3 billion FCFA.
• Who buys: Italy took a quarter of robusta exports in 2024/25, followed by Algeria and Belgium, and these three accounted for more than 60% of volumes.
• Quality and compliance: ONCC says Cameroon’s coffee is produced in line with the EU Deforestation Regulation (EUDR). That matters for exporters selling to Europe.

The campaign calendar is a little unusual. The 2024/25 campaign theoretically ended on 15 September 2025 for arabica and on 15 November 2025 for robusta, and the 2025/26 campaign was launched on 16 January 2026 in Baditoum.

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7 Ways to Protect Your Income From Coffee Price Swings

1. Check ONCC prices before you sell.
The board publishes daily reference prices. If you know the FOB price, you know how much room there is between the farm and the port.

2. Know your margin: farm-gate as a share of FOB.
With producers receiving anywhere from 51% to 94% of FOB depending on the basin, comparing your offer to FOB quickly shows whether you’re being underpaid.

3. Compare more than one buyer.
Differences between basins and buyers account for most of the variation in what farmers get.

4. Don’t plan on forecasts.
Analysts expected sharp falls in 2026. They haven’t materialised yet. But coffee prices can drop quickly, so plan around the low end.

5. Invest in quality, especially for arabica.
The arabica FOB premium over robusta is about 83%. Better processing and selection protect your price in a competitive market.

6. Watch the weather, especially Brazil’s.
World prices jump on harvest concerns. In October, humidity-related quality worries in Brazil pushed arabica up 2.4% in a day.

7. Don’t abandon cocoa or coffee on one data point.
Robusta beat cocoa for two weeks in March. Cocoa then recovered. Switching crops takes years, so use price signals for buying and selling decisions, not for replanting.

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FAQ: Cameroon Coffee Prices

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Final Thoughts

The bottom line: Cameroon’s export coffee prices follow world futures closely (about 97% of the futures-implied price), and the real variation is in how much of that reaches the farmer.

If you take one step this week, make it this: compare the price you’re being offered to ONCC’s latest FOB figure for your coffee type. That ratio tells you more about your deal than any headline price.

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Sources

• ONCC (National Cocoa and Coffee Board), daily prices and campaign news: oncc.cm
• ONCC on X, price bulletins of 5 March and 28 April 2026
• Investir au Cameroun, “Au Cameroun, le prix du kilogramme de café robusta dépasse pour la première fois celui du cacao” (March 2026)
• Agence Ecofin, “Cameroun : le robusta s’établit à 3,68 USD/kg, devant le cacao pour la première fois” (March 2026)
• Investir au Cameroun, “Café : les prix du robusta stagnent à 1200-1300 FCFA depuis deux mois” (May 2026)
• Investir au Cameroun, “Café robusta : légère hausse du prix du Kg dans les bassins de production” (June 2026)
• Agence Ecofin, “Cameroun : la campagne caféière 2025-2026 s’ouvre sur fond d’embellie des prix” (Jan 2026)
• Ecofinances, “Café camerounais : l’Arabica à 2 854 FCFA/kg et le Robusta à 1 959 FCFA/kg” (Jan 2026)
• Ecomatin, “Cameroun : les exportations de café robusta génèrent 3,5 milliards FCFA”
• Le Corporate, “Filière caféière : le Cameroun savoure le retour des indicateurs au vert”
• Mongabay, “Cameroun : ruée des acheteurs de cacao vers le café devenu plus rentable” (March 2026)
• Business Recorder, “Arabica coffee climbs on Brazil quality concerns” (1 October 2026)
• International Coffee Organization, ICO Indicator Prices, October 2026
• Comunicaffe, “Coffee futures set to fall by a third by the end of 2026, say analysts” (March 2026)
• AZ Coffee Shops, green coffee prices dashboard, and IFC Markets coffee price page (October 2026)
• Wikipedia, “Coffee production in Cameroon”