Cameroon's food product import bill fell from 65 to 54 billion FCFA in the first quarter of 2026, compared with the same period in 2025 — a drop of around 17%, according to data released on 7 August by the National Institute of Statistics (INS).
The INS attributes most of the contraction to rice, thanks to the expansion of cultivated areas since 2024 and an increase in customs duties. The shift is even sharper on maize: imports fell from 3.9 billion FCFA in the first quarter of 2025 to around 600 million a year later, a drop of nearly 85%.
The signal is consistent with the government's stated target of a record cereal harvest of 3.3 million tonnes in 2026: the less is imported, the more local production finds buyers — in theory at least.
Caution is still warranted, however. A lower import bill only translates into a lasting economic gain if the country manages to durably raise its output, develop storage and processing, and guarantee remunerative outlets for producers without straining consumer supply.
Yet the domestic market remains under pressure: the higher customs duties that discourage imports also raise, in the short term, the price paid by households as long as local supply has not filled the gap.
The first quarter of 2026 thus offers an encouraging figure, but an isolated one. It is over several consecutive growing seasons, and on the ability to smooth prices, that a real reduction in food dependence will be judged.
