Rising cocoa prices, driven by global production shortfalls, have led to increased thefts on cocoa farms in Cameroon, prompting desperate farmers to resort to machete-wielding vigilante groups and traditional amulets for protection, according to farmers and local authorities.
The sharp increase in cocoa prices in Cameroon, caused by unfavourable weather and plant diseases affecting major producers Cote d’Ivoire and Ghana, has made the valuable crop a prime target for thieves. Unlike their counterparts in Cote d’Ivoire and Ghana, who sell their beans at fixed prices regulated by the government, Cameroonian farmers operate in a liberalised market, allowing them to benefit from higher, market-driven prices, closely linked to global rates.
Data from the National Cocoa and Coffee Board shows that cocoa prices in Cameroon have sometimes tripled from the initial floor price of CFA1,500 ($2.56) per kilogram since the beginning of the 2023/24 season. This surge has turned cocoa into a lucrative target for thieves, causing anxiety among farmers, particularly in key cocoa-growing regions.
Pascal Mani, who manages a seven-hectare farm in Endaba village, near Ntui in central Cameroon, is one such farmer struggling to secure his livelihood. ‘In the night, when I hear an unusual sound, I wake up,’ Mani told Reuters. Like many others, he patrols his farm armed with a machete to deter thieves, whose threat keeps him and fellow farmers awake most nights.
In response to rising thefts, local communities have started organising vigilante groups. These groups, equipped with machetes, whistles, bows, arrows, and reflective jackets, patrol the cocoa farms to protect crops and sound alarms when suspicious activity occurs. Some farmers have even resorted to using traditional methods, such as planting amulets, to ward off thieves with the hope of casting spells on those attempting to steal.
The heightened security risks have also resulted in violence. Last season, two cocoa farmers in Ntui were killed, and their cocoa beans stolen by their own farm employees, according to a local police official, who requested anonymity as they were not authorised to speak publicly on the matter.
Authorities are taking steps to address the issue and secure the cocoa supply chain. Local officials, along with buyers, have started refusing to purchase cocoa from unregistered farmers or minors, in an attempt to curb the theft problem. Additionally, administrative authorities in some areas have banned the sale of non-dried cocoa to make it harder for thieves to quickly sell stolen pods.
Marriette Embolo, who farms 14 hectares in the area, hopes that such measures are extended across the country. Recalling an incident, Embolo described confronting a thief who had harvested cocoa pods from her farm: ‘He said he wanted to beg for cocoa seedlings, but instead he came to my farm when I wasn’t there to steal.’
With cocoa thefts on the rise, Cameroonian farmers are left to grapple with the dangers of protecting their valuable crops amidst soaring global prices. The mix of vigilante efforts, community measures, and traditional beliefs highlights the precarious situation facing many farmers in one of Africa’s key cocoa-producing nations.
Source: Reuters
