(Business in Cameroon) - In Q1-2020, the volume of banana exported by producers still operating in Cameroon dropped by 13,143  tons. According to figures revealed by the banana producers association Assobacam, during the period under review, the exports stood at 49,818 tons against 62,961 tons in Q1-2019.

This decrease is mainly due to the drop in the exports of plantations du haut Penja (PHP), the local subsidiary of French group Compagnie fruitière de Marseille.

During the period under review, the exports of the leader of Cameroon’s banana market dropped by 12,174 tons (from 58,067 tons in Q1-2019 to 45,893 tons).

Boh Plantations, the second banana exporter still operating in Cameroon, exported 3,925 tons during the said period. This represents a 969 tons year-over-year decrease compared with the 4,894 tons it exported during the same period in 2019.

Assobacam did not explain the drops but, according to some operators, this counter-performance could be due to this year’s dry season which has been harsher than 2019.

Banana is the third export product in Cameroon behind crude oil (over 40% of total exports) and timber (about 15% of total exports).

Brice R. Mbodiam