Cameroon’s Fish and Milk Powder Imports Rise Despite Import-Substitution Drive

Cameroon imported more fish and milk powder in 2025 despite a government program designed to increase domestic production and reduce reliance on foreign supplies, highlighting the gap between the country’s import-substitution targets and results on the ground.

Fish and crustacean imports climbed 29% to 267,601 metric tons from 207,408 tons a year earlier, according to provisional data from the National Institute of Statistics (INS). The bill rose even faster, increasing 37.8% to CFA231.3 billion.

Imports of powdered or concentrated milk increased 8% to 17,880 tons from 16,555 tons. Their value, however, fell 1.2% to CFA32.8 billion.

Combined, the two categories cost Cameroon CFA264.1 billion in 2025, up 31.4% from CFA201 billion in 2024, based on INS data. The increase came during implementation of the government’s 2024-2026 Integrated Agropastoral and Fisheries Import-Substitution Plan, or Piisah, which aims to increase domestic supply and reduce dependence on imports.

Import Volumes Rise Again

Fish accounted for most of the increase. Nearly all the volume recorded by INS consisted of frozen sea fish, totaling 267,259 tons worth CFA230.9 billion.

The average import value rose to about CFA864 per kilogram from CFA809 in 2024, an increase of 6.8%. Higher volumes combined with the increase in average value to drive the import bill up faster than quantities.

The picture was different for milk powder. While imported volumes increased, the average import value fell about 8.5% to CFA1,832 per kilogram, helping contain the overall bill.

The broader statistical category covering milk and dairy products, eggs and honey does not provide an accurate measure of the specific product concerned. Powdered or concentrated milk therefore provides the more relevant comparison, and its data show that volumes rose even though the value of imports declined.

2026 Production Targets Remain Far Away

Domestic production has not increased fast enough to close the gap.

According to the Ministry of Livestock, Fisheries and Animal Industries’ 2025 review, Cameroon produced an estimated 183,286 tons of milk and 249,083 tons of fish last year. Those figures were only 1.5% and 1.2% higher, respectively, than the ministry’s 2024 figures.

The government is targeting 351,900 tons of milk and 602,500 tons of fish by 2026. Production in 2025 therefore represented just 52.1% of the milk target and 41.3% of the fish target.

That leaves gaps of 168,614 tons of milk and 353,417 tons of fish. Reaching the targets in a single year would require production increases of about 92% for milk and 142% for fish. On a comparable statistical basis, those increases would be far above the growth rates recorded so far.

The figures show the size of the shortfall but do not by themselves explain the slow increase in production. Constraints can include feed costs, access to fingerlings and breeding stock, financing, cold-storage infrastructure, logistics and the time required for government-backed projects to translate into additional supply.

Project Execution Remains a Key Test

Implementation data point to another challenge. According to the ministry’s review, Piisah recorded an 87% commitment rate in 2025 but only a 30.18% physical execution rate. The dairy component reached 40.56%.

The figures require some caution. Budget commitments are an administrative stage in public spending and do not necessarily mean that money has been disbursed or projects completed on the ground.

For 2026, the same report lists a CFA12.5 billion allocation, with 76.93% committed. Yet physical execution was still at zero at the time of the assessment across the six agencies concerned: Sodepa, Lanavet, CDEN, CDENO, Midepecam and CDPM.

That points to a lag between budget procedures and implementation, although the available information is insufficient to establish it as the direct cause of the increase in 2025 imports.

The government is seeking to accelerate investment. In August 2026, the livestock ministry and the Cameroon SME Bank announced an additional CFA6.5 billion for the cattle, dairy and fisheries industries. Its impact will depend on how quickly the funds reach beneficiaries and whether the investments translate into higher volumes reaching the market.

More recent trade figures also suggest caution in extrapolating the 2025 trend. Cameroon’s fish and crustacean import bill fell 35.5% year over year to CFA26.8 billion in the first quarter of 2026, according to the National Economic and Financial Committee.

A three-month decline in import value, without comparable data on volumes and domestic production, is not enough to establish that import substitution is working. Progress will ultimately depend on three developments occurring together: higher domestic output, a sustained decline in import volumes and stronger physical execution of the projects intended to increase local supply.

Ludovic Amara