Cameroon Cocoa Farmers Face New EU Compliance Costs After Sharp Price Drop

Cameroon’s cocoa farmers face additional costs to keep their beans eligible for the European market just after a season marked by a steep fall in prices and export earnings, a combination that has raised concerns over who will finance compliance with the EU’s new deforestation rules.

In a policy brief published on August 13, 2026, Forests and Rural Development (Foder) argues that the cocoa industry’s current economic model places a significant share of sustainability requirements on farmers even though they do not control the price at which their cocoa is ultimately sold.

The warning comes a few months before the European Union Deforestation Regulation (EUDR) takes effect. From December 30, 2026, for large and medium-sized companies covered by the regulation, cocoa placed on the European market must, among other requirements, be deforestation-free and produced in accordance with the laws of its country of origin. Operators must also have the information required to conduct due diligence, including data on the geographical origin of products.

Cameroonian farmers are not directly subject to the same legal obligations as European importers, but the regulation creates new requirements throughout their supply chains. Farmers may be asked to provide geolocation data for their plots and information needed to demonstrate the legality and origin of their production.

Foder argues that these changes impose additional constraints on farmers already highly exposed to market fluctuations. “The producer therefore finds himself in a structurally unbalanced position: he bears the costs of the transition to sustainability and assumes production and compliance risks, but controls neither the price nor the final value of his product,” the organization said.

Data from the latest season reinforces those concerns. According to Cameroon’s National Cocoa and Coffee Board (ONCC), farmgate cocoa prices ranged from CFA700 to CFA4,300 per kilogram during the 2025-2026 season, compared with CFA3,210 to CFA5,400 the previous season.

At the same time, cocoa bean export earnings fell 63% to CFA400.9 billion from CFA1.07 trillion a year earlier. Marketed production also declined 19.9% to 247,914 metric tons.

The figures underpin Foder’s criticism of Cameroon’s liberalized cocoa industry, where producers remain directly exposed to fluctuations in international prices. The organization advocates a restructuring of the sector’s economic model so that farmers do not bear most of the costs associated with new environmental requirements.

Market conditions have improved since the most difficult period of the previous season. As of September 1, 2026, ONCC reported prices of CFA2,750 to CFA2,900 per kilogram. The recovery, however, does not resolve the issue raised by Foder: who will sustainably finance traceability, geolocation and other measures required to maintain Cameroonian cocoa’s access to the European market.

Thierry Christophe Yamb