(Business in Cameroon) – Cameroon’s banana exports surged in September 2024, rising 19.5% year-over-year and 4.5% compared to August. According to the latest data from the Banana Association of Cameroon (Assobacam), the country exported 24,216 tons of bananas in September 2024, up from 20,269 tons during the same month in 2023, a growth of 3,947 tons.
All four of the country’s banana producers contributed to this rise, with the French group Compagnie fruitière de Marseille maintaining its market leadership. Its two subsidiaries alone exported 19,766 tons in September, representing 81.6% of Cameroon’s total banana exports.
Breaking it down, Plantations du Haut Penja (PHP) shipped 18,193 tons of bananas internationally during the month, marking a 14.5% increase year-over-year. Meanwhile, the Compagnie des bananes de Mondoni (CDBM), the newest arm of Compagnie fruitière in Cameroon, saw a massive 194% growth, exporting 1,573 tons in September 2024, up from just 535 tons a year earlier.
The state-owned agro-industrial company CDC, the second-largest employer in Cameroon after the central government, also increased its exports in September, reaching 3,124 tons, up 17% from 2,668 tons in September 2023. Boh Plantations Plc, now the fourth-largest producer after CDBM, exported 1,326 tons in September 2024, compared to 1,179 tons in September 2023, a 12.5% increase.
Bananas are one of Cameroon’s major export revenue generators. In 2023 alone, the country exported CFA42.9 billion worth of bananas to G7 countries, including Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the UK, and the United States, according to data from the National Institute of Statistics.
Looking ahead, Cameroon aims to boost annual banana production to 500,000 tons by 2030, up from the current 210,000 to 240,000 tons, as outlined in the country’s National Development Strategy (SND 20-30).
