The Cameroonian Banana Association reveals that in May 2020, only 11,872 tonnes left the country, while in the same period last year, more than 16,000 tonnes were sold. The banana-plantain sector is in bad shape. Data from the Cameroon Banana Association (ASSOBACAM) recently published, show a significant difference in exports between May 2020 and May 2019
Banana exports were 11,872 tonnes in May 2020, or 4,263 tonnes less in the same period in 2019, where Cameroon exported 16,135 tonnes.
“In details, the company Plantations du Haut Penja (PHP) exported 10,795 tonnes of bananas compared to 14,639 tonnes during the same period in 2019. Boh Plantations exported 1,077 tonnes compared with 1,496 tonnes in May 2019.”
Figures for May were worse than April when producers thought the sector was taking off.
“By April 2020, banana exports had increased by more than 2,721 tonnes. According to data from the Cameroon Banana Association, they were 16,102 tonnes compared to 13,381 a year earlier. At that time, it was PHP that had contributed to this performance by exporting 14,965 tonnes against 12,427 in April 2019.
Boh Plantations, the second exporter still active on the market had meanwhile shipped 1,137 tonnes against 954 in April 2019. These good figures were justified by the return of the rains.”
The fall in exports of this cash crop could be due to the Coronavirus pandemic. But also, the cessation of activities of the Cameroon Development Corporation (CDC) and the insecurity in the North-West and South-West regions
