Global prices of food commodities imported by countries of the West African Economic and Monetary Union (WAEMU) rose 29.1% in September 2026 compared with September 2025, according to a monthly statistical bulletin released by the BCEAO on 6 November.
The imported-food price index reached 142.4 points, with 2017 set at 100, up from 110.3 a year earlier. It stood at 132.1 in August, implying a calculated monthly gain of 7.8%. Its annual growth rate accelerated from 13.3% in August to 29.1% in September, a rise of 15.8 percentage points.
In Index, 2017 = 100
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Source : BCEAO, September 2026 Monthly Statistical Bulletin, p. 8.
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| Category | Index, 2017 = 100 |
|---|---|
| March | 111.6 |
| April | 110.9 |
| May | 119.1 |
| June | 119.2 |
| July | 128.9 |
| August | 132.1 |
| September | 142.4 |
Wheat and rice lead the increases
International wheat prices climbed 41.3% from a year earlier, while rice gained 38.9%. Oil rose 23.8% and sugar 16.8%. Milk prices, by contrast, fell 18.2% year-on-year. These changes concern global commodity quotations, not retail prices across the union’s eight member countries.
In the BCEAO table, rice quotations converted into CFA francs per kilogram rose from CFAF142.8 in September 2025 to CFAF198.3 in September 2026. Wheat increased from CFAF106.4 to CFAF150.4 per kilogram, and oil from CFAF797.0 to CFAF986.4.
In Year-on-year %
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Source : BCEAO, September 2026 Monthly Statistical Bulletin, p. 8.
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| Category | Year-on-year % |
|---|---|
| Wheat | 41.3 |
| Rice | 38.9 |
| Oil | 23.8 |
| Sugar | 16.8 |
Household inflation tells a different story
The imported-food commodity benchmark differs from consumer price inflation. In the same report, the BCEAO places WAEMU annual consumer inflation at 1.9% in September, up from 1.3% in August. For food purchased by households, the annual rate rose from 0.9% in August to 2.2% in September.
Exported commodities moved in different directions. Cocoa fell 15.8% and coffee 23.7% year-on-year, while cotton gained 27.2% and rubber 33.0%, according to the BCEAO September 2026 bulletin.