CAMEROON – Cameroon exported 17,258 tons of bananas in February 2021, a 13.28% year-on-year rise from the 14,965 tons exported in February 2020.
According to data compiled by the Banana Association of Cameroon (Assobacam), the increase in exports was spurred by the commendable performance by all the three main market players.
Plantations du Haut Penja (PHP), a local subsidiary of the French group Compagnie fruitière de Marseille exported 14,233 tons of bananas, a rise from 13,847 tons registered the previous year, representing a 2.71% jump.
Over the same period, state-owned firm Cameroon Development Corporation (CDC) reclaimed its position as the second-largest producer in that market.
During the period under review, the agro-industrial unit exported 1,785 tons of banana while during the same period in 2020, it was absent from the banana exporters’ database since it was the economic victim of the Anglophone crisis that started in 2016.
Cameroon banana exports declined by 15.71% month-over-month in February 2021
In September 2018, the climate of insecurity prevailing in the anglophone regions due to attacks perpetrated by armed gang forced it to stop operations, reports Business in Cameroon.
According to the reports, CDC is yet to regain its export momentum prior to the crisis, as in 2016 it exported about 113,610 tons with an average monthly export volume of 9,467.5 tons.
Since June 2020 when it resumed operations, the firm has exported 9,521 tons of banana, with February 2021 being its highest month.
Coming in third place is Boh Plantations which increased its exports for the month by 9.8% year-over-year during the period.
The company exported 1,240 tons in February 2021 against 1,118 tons in the same period in 2020, representing an increase of 122 tons between the two periods.
It is worth noting that month-over-month banana exports were however down by 15.71% in February 2021.
This was mainly due to the drop in the exports of PHP which fell from 17 459 tons in January 2021 to 14 233 tons in February and Boh Plantations slumping by 15.5% down from 1,469 tons to 1,240 tons.
For the full year in 2020, Cameroon’s banana exports amounted to 187,884 tons, an 8% decline from the previous year’s 204,320 tons.
Plantations du Haut Penja (PHP), saw its exports decline by 20, 6613 tons from 187, 423 tons attained the previous year to 166, 726 tons in 2020.
The same down trend performance was reflected by Boh Plantations. The agribusiness company exported only 14, 954 tons of banana against 16,897 tons of the same period in 2019.
This shows a year-over-year drop of 11.5% i.e., 1,943 tons in its exports. While, CDC exported 6,168 tons of banana.
Banana is one of the 10 non-oil products most exported by Cameroon to the European Union.
According to the latest official figures, in 2019 the country generated XAF136 billion (US$247.9m) from its banana exports to the European Union.
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