The group of producer countries of the International Cocoa Organisation (ICCO) elected Cameroon to chair the International Cocoa Council for the 2024/2025 cocoa season. It was last September 2024.

This decision, which will be officially confirmed at the 110th session of the ICCO from 23 to 26 September in Abidjan (Côte d’Ivoire), reflects international recognition of “Cameroon’s tireless efforts to promote the work of producers and their fair remuneration”, according to a press release issued by the Ministry of Trade on Friday. Cameroon, which ranks fourth in the world with a production of 300,000 tonnes, tied with Nigeria, plays a key role in the sector. According to the quarterly bulletin of cocoa statistics for the 2023-2024 season, published on 31st May by the ICCO, the four main African producers (Côte d’Ivoire, Ghana, Cameroon and Nigeria) account for 70.6% of world production, although this figure is slightly down on previous seasons.

The 2023-2024 cocoa season was marked by “record” prices for Cameroonian producers, reaching up to FCFA 6,300 per kg. According to the National Cocoa and Coffee Board (ONCC), this increase in prices enabled the country to generate a total FOB revenue of FCFA 488.8 billion, an increase of FCFA 220 billion compared to the previous year.

The Minister of Trade, Luc Magloire Mbarga Atangana, stressed that this “unprecedented increase in prices” consolidates Cameroon’s position as a “benchmark origin in terms of quality and consistent remuneration of producers, who are now among the best paid in the world”.