(Business in Cameroon) – Cameroon’s raw cotton exports generated CFA47 billion in revenue during the first quarter of 2025, for a volume of 42,000 tons, up 2.4% from the same period in 2024, according to the National Institute of Statistics (INS). A year earlier, exports had already brought in CFA47 billion for 41,000 tons, showing stable earnings despite slightly higher volumes.
Outlooks for the full year remain positive. The Bank of Central African States (BEAC) projects national production at 350,100 tons in 2025, up from 340,000 tons in 2024. This growth would confirm the rebound of the Cotton Development Company (Sodecoton) beyond the 330,000 tons achieved in 2022 and bring it closer to its long-term target of 400,000 tons per year.
After a 2023 downturn marked by output of 314,455 tons, due in part to reduced cultivated areas, the sector is regaining momentum. On the export side, Cameroon shipped 127,506 tons of fiber in 2023 worth CFA147.9 billion, down 14.7% in volume and 4.8% in value compared with 2022.
The stability of export revenues in early 2025, despite slightly higher volumes, underscores the sector’s resilience to global market fluctuations and climate-related challenges. The cotton industry remains highly exposed to extreme weather, with rising temperatures, lower rainfall, and unpredictable seasons disrupting crop cycles and yields.
According to the National Observatory on Climate Change (ONACC), the past three decades have seen declining rainfall, longer dry seasons, and more frequent extreme events such as droughts and floods. In 2024 alone, these disruptions caused an estimated CFA14 billion in losses for the cotton industry in the Far North region, highlighting the vulnerability of a sector vital to Cameroon’s economy.
