Banana exports in Cameroon peaked at 110,091 tons in the first half of this year, compared to 95,150 tons in the same period last year. This makes an increase of 15.7% or 14,941 tons over the two periods. Data from the national banana association (Assobacam) revealed that the sector was mainly dynamic between January and March 2022 when exporters shipped 57,573 tons of the fruit.
In H1 2022, Plantations du Haut Penja (PHP), which leads the market, sold 91,900 tons of bananas, against 78,878 tons in H1 2021 (up 16.5%). Minor player Boh Plantations also recorded an increase in exports over the period, shipping 7,798 tons of bananas, compared to 7,229 tons over the same period in 2021.
As for the state-owned CDC, the number was 10,393 tons of bananas exported between January and June 2022, against only 9,043 tons in H1 2021, up 1,350 tons. Despite this improvement, CDC is still struggling to navigate the Anglophone crisis. As a reminder, separatists have destroyed many of the company’s equipment, transformed some plantations into training camps, and brutalized several workers. The situation has forced the company’s Board to suspend activities for 18 months, starting in September 2018. To date, recovery is still difficult, although CDC announced the rehabilitation of 520 hectares of banana plantations in 2021.
Brice R. Mbodiam