(Business in Cameroon) – The four banana producers operating in Cameroon exported 16,830 tons of banana in April 2025, according to figures released by the Cameroon Banana Association (Assobacam). These international sales were almost unchanged, down a marginal 0.4% or 67 tons, compared to the 16,897 tons exported in April 2024.
However, Assobacam’s data revealed a significant surge in exports for two producers: the state-owned agro-industrial company CDC and the Mondoni Banana Company (CDBM), the second Cameroonian subsidiary of the French group Compagnie Fruitière de Marseille. In April 2025, CDC, the second-largest employer in Cameroon after the public administration, exported 3,309 tons of bananas, a substantial 30% year-on-year increase (766 tons) from the 2,543 tons shipped in the same month of 2024.
CDBM also saw strong growth, exporting 1,715 tons of bananas in April 2025, a 42% increase (507 tons) compared to the 1,208 tons in April 2024. However, these strong performances were offset by a slowdown, primarily at Plantations du Haut Penja (PHP), the leading player in the local market, which typically accounts for around 70% of Cameroon’s banana exports.
According to Assobacam, PHP, the first Cameroonian subsidiary of Compagnie Fruitière de Marseille, exported 11,046 tons of bananas in April 2025, down 10.6% year-on-year (1,319 tons) from the 12,365 tons exported a year earlier. The decline was less pronounced for Boh Plantations Plc, which has become the smallest player in the market since CDBM’s arrival. Boh Plantations exported 760 tons in April 2025, a slight 2.7% year-on-year decrease from the 781 tons shipped in April 2024.
Bananas are a key source of export revenue for Cameroon, with Europe being the primary market. According to BKP Economic Advisors, the United Kingdom alone accounts for 13% of Cameroon’s banana exports, generating annual revenue of nearly 10 million euros (approximately 6.53 billion CFA francs). Data from the National Institute of Statistics (INS) shows that in 2023, Cameroon exported 42.9 billion CFA francs worth of bananas to G7 countries, which include Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the United Kingdom, and the United States.
Brice R. Mbodiam
