(Business in Cameroon) – Cameroon’s banana exports fell by 10% year-on-year in August, according to data from the Cameroon Banana Association (Assobacam). Exports totaled 14,639 tons, down from 16,105 tons in August 2024, a decrease of 1,466 tons.
The decline was driven by reduced activity at Plantations du Haut Penja (PHP), the market leader. The company, a subsidiary of France’s Compagnie Fruitière de Marseille, shipped 9,087 tons of bananas to the international market in August, down 25.7% from 11,424 tons a year earlier.
Boh Plantations Plc, which remains a minor player despite a new producer entering the market, also saw a poor performance. The agro-industrial company’s total sales for August were 839 tons, a 56.2% drop from the 1,311 tons it exported in August 2024.
The dip in exports from these two producers was partially offset by strong performance at both the state-owned Cameroon Development Corporation (CDC) and Compagnie des Bananes de Mondoni (CDBM), the second subsidiary of Compagnie Fruitière de Marseille in Cameroon. With a 30.2% increase in exports, the CDC recorded the best growth in the market during the review period. The company, which is the second-largest employer in Cameroon after the public administration, exported 3,250 tons in August, up from 2,268 tons in August 2024.
CDBM, a more recent entrant to the market, exported 1,463 tons of bananas in August. This represents a 24.7% increase in its international sales, up from 1,102 tons in August 2024.
Bananas are one of Cameroon’s main sources of export revenue, with Europe as its primary market. According to data from the National Institute of Statistics, Cameroon exported 42.9 billion CFA francs’ worth of bananas to G7 countries in 2023 alone.
The local market is largely dominated by France’s Compagnie Fruitière de Marseille, which, through its two subsidiaries, accounts for 70% to 80% of Cameroon’s annual exports. The multinational also provides technical assistance to the two other producers, further strengthening its footprint in the country’s banana market.
Brice R. Mbodiam
