Cameroon launches 32,000-Tonne cocoa processing plant in Baré-Bakem
New Samen Industry plant strengthens Cameroon’s drive to process over 80% of its cocoa domestically.
CAMEROON – Cameroon has laid the foundation stone for a new cocoa grinding and processing plant in Baré-Bakem, Moungo Division of the Littoral Region, reinforcing its position as a leading local processor of cocoa.
On 27 February 2026, the Minister of Trade, Luc Magloire Mbarga Atangana, accompanied by the Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, Gabriel Mbairobe, presided over the ceremony for the industrial unit of Samen Industry S.A..
According to the Ministry of Trade, the new factory will have an annual processing capacity of 32,000 tonnes of cocoa beans. The additional capacity raises Cameroon’s total installed processing capacity to more than 250,000 tonnes.
During the last cocoa campaign, commercialised production reached approximately 300,000 tonnes, meaning that over 80% of national output is now processed locally.
The Minister of Trade described this performance as “a world record”, noting that the sector had previously set a 40% local processing target, which has now been exceeded.
Authorities said the project aligns with the National Development Strategy 2030 (NDS30) and the government’s import-substitution policy, aimed at strengthening domestic value addition and reducing dependence on raw commodity exports.
The Minister stated that the objective goes beyond expanding capacity to ensuring that value generated locally benefits the entire cocoa value chain, particularly producers. Referring to volatility and speculation in international commodity markets, he said the Government is working to address market opacity affecting raw material trade.
Local processing was presented as a structural response to fluctuations in global prices. The Minister called on industrial operators to open their share capital to producer cooperatives so that farmers can receive dividends from semi-finished and finished cocoa products, in addition to the farm-gate price of beans.
The Ministry of Trade said the Baré-Bakem project forms part of broader efforts to structure the cocoa sector.
It added that commissioning the Samen Industry S.A. plant marks another step in anchoring cocoa processing within Cameroon, expanding industrial capacity and increasing the share of value retained in the domestic economy.
Before July 2026, ahead of the next cocoa campaign, the Government plans to convene stakeholders to define a national cocoa policy.
The consultations are expected to address revenue distribution while preserving the quality standards associated with Cameroon-origin cocoa.
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