Cameroon Sugar Corporation, Sosucam, has dismissed reports circulating online alleging that the firm has gone bankrupt, insisting instead that it is undergoing its routine seasonal shutdown while preparing for the next production campaign scheduled for November. The clarification comes as the company faces mounting financial pressure following heavy losses, labour unrest and declining output in Cameroon’s sugar sector.
According to a report by Cameroon Tribune, internal sources contacted revealed the Somdia subsidiary operating in Mbandjock and Nkoteng in the Centre Region remains operational despite the suspension of activities linked to the end of the harvesting season.
“Like every year, we proceed with the seasonal shutdown of activities when we reach the end of the season. It is therefore not a bankruptcy as some people seem to be saying here and there. We have just released 6,000 seasonal workers. Nearly one billion CFA francs was spent to pay their entitlements. Where would we have obtained the money if we were bankrupt?” an anonymous company official reportedly told Cameroon Tribune by telephone.
The source added that preparations for the next sugar campaign were already under way, while the firm’s commercial teams continued field operations as usual. The company also confirmed that discussions were ongoing regarding future investments aimed at stabilising operations amid persistent difficulties affecting the agro-industrial sector.
The clarification comes at a sensitive moment for Cameroon’s sugar market, where producers are seeking to expand output to meet domestic demand and strengthen competitiveness. Sosucam invested CFA2.5 billion of its own funds in a new sugar cube production unit at its Nkoteng site. The project, launched two years ago, is expected to increase processing capacity and modernise production infrastructure.
With a production capacity estimated at 100 tonnes per day, the new facility will replace the ageing unit previously operating in Mbandjock. The investment is part of broader efforts by sugar producers in Cameroon to improve productivity amid rising operational costs and intensifying competition within the sector.
However, official figures indicate that Sosucam’s financial position has deteriorated significantly over the past two years. At the close of the 2024 financial year, the company recorded losses estimated at CFA22 billion, compared to CFA15 billion in 2023. The situation worsened further in 2025 following nearly two weeks of employee unrest that disrupted production activities.
The industrial dispute reportedly resulted in losses estimated at CFA5 billion for the French-owned subsidiary. Nearly 1,000 hectares of plantations were destroyed by fire during the crisis, while around 50,000 tonnes of sugar cane were lost, further affecting output and revenue generation.
Despite these setbacks, company officials maintain that Sosucam has not ceased operations and continues to prepare for future production cycles in one of Cameroon’s key agro-industrial sectors. The company remains one of the country’s major employers in the sugar industry, with seasonal recruitment forming a significant source of rural employment in the Centre Region.
Mercy Fosoh
