(Business in Cameroon) - Cameroon exported 11,907 tons of banana in May 2021, according to recent data published by the banana association ASSOBACAM. Compared with the 11,872 tons the country exported during the same period in 2020, this represents a rise of 35 tons (+0.3%).

This slight improvement in the overall performance is due to the exports of state-owned agribusiness company Cameroon Development Corporation (CDC). During the period under review, CDC, which was not operational in May 2020, exported 1,121 tons of bananas.

The impact of CDC’s performance on the overall exports was mitigated by the year-on-year drop in the exports of market leader Plantations du Haut Penja (PHP) and market minnow Boh Plantations.

In May 2021, PHP exported 9,888 tons of banana, down by 907 tons (-8.4%) compared with the 10,795 tons it exported in May 2020.

As for Boh Plantations, its exports dropped from 1,077 tons in May 2020, to 898 tons in May 2021. This represents a 16.62% (-179 tons) drop in performance.

The drop in the exports of PHP and Boh Plantations seems to be a cyclical phenomenon usually observed in May when there is heavy rainfall. In May 2020, the two operators recorded a year-on-year drop of 3,844 tons (-26.25%) for PHP and 419 tons (-28%) for Boh Plantations.

Sylvain Andzongo