CAMEROON Price Bulletin July 2020 The Famine Early Warning Systems Network (FEWS NET) monitors trends in staple food prices in countries vulnerable to food insecurity. For each FEWS NET country and region, the Price Bulletin provides a set of charts showing monthly prices in the current marketing year in selected urban centers and allowing users to compare current trends with both five-year average prices, indicative of seasonal trends, and prices in the previous year. Sorghum, maize, millet, and rice are the primary staples grown and consumed in the Far North region of Cameroon. Legumes such as cowpeas and groundnuts are also widely consumed. Onions is an important cash crops in the region. Maroua and Kousseri are the two urban centers and host the most important reference markets in the Far North region. These markets are responsible for the flow of local harvest from rural to urban areas during harvest, and the opposite during the lean season. Other important reference markets include Mora, Mokolo, and Yagoua. Markets in the Far North region play an important role in regional trade with neighboring Chad and Northeast Nigeria. The Douala – Maroua – Kousseri corridor that extends to Chad includes the flow of imported commodities. The Maiduguri (Nigeria) – Maroua and Maiduguri – Kousseri corridor, both continuing to Chad, includes the flow of processed goods and also the re-export of key staples such as sorghum and rice back into Cameroon during the lean season and imported staples from surplus producing areas in Nigeria during harvest and post- Source: DRADER, Cameroon harvest periods. However, as result of frequent Boko Haram attacks, these trade corridors are often closed by the government re-orientating trade flow more towards southern destinations precisely Yaounde, Douala, Gabon, Equatorial Guinea and the Central Africa Republic (CAR). The North West region is a major production basin for maize and beans, while the South West region produces mainly plantain, cassava and cocoyams. Other important crops produced and consumed in both regions include solanum potato and lowland rice. Palm oil is also produced in both regions as an important cash crop sold mostly processed as palm oil. These regions supply large cities in Cameroon and neighboring Gabon, Chad, and CAR. The North West and South West regions also have important trade connections with Nigeria through the Bamenda-Mamfe-Ekok and Kumba-Mamfe-Ekok (part of the Trans- African Highway) corridors and the Limbe-Idenau-Nigeria highway. These trade routes are faced with frequent closures as a result of the ongoing conflict in the regions. Some key reference markets in these regions include Bamenda, Kumbo, Fundong, Buea, Mamfe, and Limbe. [email protected] FEWS NET is a USAID-funded activity. The content of this report does not necessarily www.fews.net reflect the view of the United States Agency for International Development or the United States Government CAMEROON Price Bulletin July 2020 5 Year Average 2014/15 - 2018/19 Previous Year 2018/19 Current Year 2019/20 Cowpeas (White): Nominal wholesale prices in Mora Groundnuts (Shelled): Nominal wholesale prices in Mokolo 45000 50000 40000 45000 35000 40000 35000 30000 30000 25000 25000 20000 20000 XAF/100 XAF/100 kg XAF/100 XAF/100 kg 15000 15000 10000 10000 5000 5000 0 0 Oct Nov Dec Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep 5 Year Average Previous Year Current Year 5 Year Average Previous Year Current Year Maize Grain (Yellow): Nominal retail prices in Maize Grain (Yellow): Nominal retail prices in Mamfe Bamenda 5000 6000 4500 5000 4000 3500 4000 3000 2500 3000 2000 XAF/18 kg 2000 XAF/18 XAF/18 kg 1500 1000 1000 500 0 0 Oct Nov Dec Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep 5 Year Average Previous Year Current Year Previous Year Current Year Onions: Nominal wholesale prices in Mora Onions: Nominal wholesale prices in Mokolo 120000 140000 100000 120000 100000 80000 80000 60000 60000 XAF/100 XAF/100 kg 40000 XAF/100 kg 40000 20000 20000 0 0 Oct Nov Dec Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep 5 Year Average Previous Year Current Year 5 Year Average Previous Year Current Year Palm Oil (Refined): Nominal retail prices in Fundong Palm Oil (Refined): Nominal retail prices in Limbe 25000 10500 20000 10000 9500 15000 9000 XAF/20 XAF/20 L 10000 XAF/20 XAF/20 L 8500 5000 8000 0 7500 Oct Nov Dec Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Previous Year Current Year Previous Year Current Year Famine Early Warning Systems Network 2 CAMEROON Price Bulletin July 2020 5 Year Average 2014/15 - 2018/19 Previous Year 2018/19 Current Year 2019/20 Local Rice: Nominal wholesale prices in Kousseri Imported Rice: Nominal retail prices in Kumbo 60000 24000 50000 23000 40000 22000 30000 21000 XAF/120 XAF/120 kg 20000 20000 XAF/50 XAF/50 kg 10000 19000 0 18000 Oct Nov Dec Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep 5 Year Average Previous Year Current Year Previous Year Current Year Imported Rice: Nominal retail prices in Limbe Local Rice: Nominal wholesale prices in Maroua 25000 60000 50000 20000 40000 15000 30000 XAF/50 XAF/50 kg 10000 XAF/120 XAF/120 kg 20000 5000 10000 0 0 Oct Nov Dec Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Previous Year Current Year 5 Year Average Previous Year Current Year Sorghum (Red): Nominal wholesale prices in Kousseri Sorghum (Red): Nominal wholesale prices in Maroua 18000 20000 16000 18000 14000 16000 14000 12000 12000 10000 10000 8000 8000 XAF/100 XAF/100 kg XAF/100 XAF/100 kg 6000 6000 4000 4000 2000 2000 0 0 Oct Nov Dec Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep 5 Year Average Previous Year Current Year 5 Year Average Previous Year Current Year Famine Early Warning Systems Network 3.