After a 4.9% drop in the third quarter of 2022, agricultural product prices exported by the six CEMAC countries (Cameroon, Congo, Gabon, Chad, CAR and Equatorial Guinea) picked up again in the fourth quarter. "The index rose by 1.6%," says the central bank of the CEMAC countries (BEAC) in its Global Index of Exported Commodities (ICCPB).

This upward trend "is explained by the improved prospects for the recovery of world demand for certain products such as cocoa, rice and bananas and, to a lesser extent, palm oil and rubber, due to the recovery of Chinese demand (the world's largest importer of palm oil and rubber).

It should be recalled that the ICCPB is an index based on the prices of 20 commodities exported by CEMAC countries, representing 90% of the value of exports from this community. These commodities are grouped under five main categories: energy products, metals and minerals, forestry products, agricultural products and fishery products.

Source: Business in Cameroon