Publié le 29 September 2025 19 vues⏱ 0 h 0 min 15 sec de lecture
Cameroon’s cocoa industry, a pillar of the national economy, is currently undergoing a serious crisis, threatened by a combination of critical factors: the black mould epidemic, the Anglophone conflict and the withdrawal of companies buying cocoa.
According to Agence Ecofin, this sector, which generates more than 359 billion CFA francs and employs nearly one million people, could see its production fall by at least 10% this season due to this triple threat.
Heavy rains between July and September 2025 led to an epidemic of black mould (Phytophthora megakarya) attacking cocoa trees, destroying a large proportion of the beans. In the most affected areas (Muyuka, Kumba), the infection rate reached 70%, and the use of counterfeit pesticides by farmers exacerbated the situation. Farmers often lose half or even almost all of their crops.
Added to this threat is the ‘Anglophone crisis’ that has been affecting north-western and south-western Cameroon since 2017. The numerous ‘ghost towns’ and roadblocks attributed to separatist groups are paralysing economic activity, preventing producers from reaching their plantations in time and, above all, from selling their cocoa.
As a result, cocoa beans are becoming scarce and more expensive, and local processors are seeing their margins decline. Local companies complain about the decline in the quality of available cocoa, which has a significant impact on revenues. Telcar Cocoa’s decision to suspend operations, citing a quality crisis, deprives farmers and processors of a key buyer, creating significant uncertainty in the market.
Faced with these challenges, the government’s response remains inadequate, and growing insecurity is not helping matters. If concrete solutions are not found quickly, the future of Cameroonian cocoa could be seriously compromised.
