Cameroon reduced its cereal import bill in 2025, with official foreign trade data showing total imports of these products at 466.9 billion CFA francs, down 14.1% compared with 2024.
The decline in cereals contributed to a fall in the overall import bill for plant-based products, which amounted to 546 billion CFA francs, a 12.5% drop year-on-year. This category accounted for 10.4% of Cameroon’s total imports in 2025, Business in Cameroon reported.
The decrease in cereal imports was largely driven by rice and wheat, which remain the country’s main imported cereals. Rice imports reached 268.7 billion CFA francs, down 15.6% from the previous year, representing 5.1% of total import spending.
Similarly, wheat and meslin imports fell to 187.8 billion CFA francs, down 12.3% year-on-year, accounting for 3.6% of total imports. Corn, by contrast, plays a minor role in Cameroon’s cereal imports, with its import bill standing at 10.3 billion CFA francs in 2025, equivalent to just 0.2% of total imports.
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Overall, cereals made up 8.9% of Cameroon’s import expenditure in 2025. The reduction reflects the country’s ongoing import substitution policy outlined in the National Development Strategy 2020–2030, which seeks to strengthen domestic production and reduce dependence on imported food.
Authorities caution that the decline in imports should be interpreted carefully. While it may signal gradual improvements in local supply, it co2d also reflect short-term factors such as foreign exchange pressures, rising costs, or shifting consumer demand amid an inflationary environment.
In this context, rice and wheat imports remain an important measure of the effectiveness of public policy in supporting food security and broader structural economic transformation in Cameroon.
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