Cameroon’s banana exports rise 34.1% to 20,577 tonnes in July 2026
Cameroon exported 20,577 tonnes of bananas in July 2026, up 34.1% from a year earlier, according to Assobacam data reported by Investir au Cameroun. PHP and CDBM, both controlled by Compagnie Fruitière de Marseille, supplied 82% of the total.
July shipments reach 20,577 tonnes
Cameroon’s banana exports increased sharply in July 2026 as all three active producers shipped more fruit to international markets. Data from the Cameroon Banana Association, Assobacam, reviewed by Investir au Cameroun show total exports of 20,577 tonnes, up 34.1% from 15,336 tonnes in July 2025.
The increase added 5,241 tonnes to the country’s monthly export volume year on year. It also extended a period of stronger shipments: Cameroon exported 122,001 tonnes in the first half of 2026, 17.6% more than in the corresponding period of 2025, according to an earlier report cited by Investir au Cameroun. July’s result followed a weaker June, when exports fell to 15,554 tonnes as sales by the Cameroon Development Corporation declined.
Compagnie Fruitière subsidiaries lead growth
Plantations du Haut Penja, known as PHP and the country’s largest banana producer, exported 13,577 tonnes in July. That was 33% above the 10,208 tonnes shipped in July 2025, representing an increase of 3,369 tonnes. PHP is the principal Cameroonian subsidiary of France-based Compagnie Fruitière de Marseille.
The strongest percentage growth came from Compagnie des Bananes de Mondoni, or CDBM, the French group’s second subsidiary in Cameroon. CDBM nearly doubled its exports, with shipments rising 96.6% from 1,685 tonnes to 3,313 tonnes. The producer therefore added 1,628 tonnes year on year.
Together, PHP and CDBM exported 16,870 tonnes in July 2026. Their combined volume accounted for 82% of Cameroon’s banana exports during the month, underlining the concentration of commercial supply within Compagnie Fruitière’s local operations. The group’s subsidiaries also acquired the assets of Boh Plantations PLC in 2025.
State-owned CDC records slower increase
The remaining 18% came from the Cameroon Development Corporation, the only public operator in the banana industry and, following the Boh asset transaction, the sole producer under national ownership. CDC exported 3,687 tonnes in July 2026, an increase of 7%, or 244 tonnes, from 3,443 tonnes a year earlier.
CDC’s expansion was considerably slower than that of the two privately controlled producers. Nevertheless, its return to year-on-year growth contributed to the broad-based July increase after its weaker performance had weighed on national exports in June. The company is also Cameroon’s second-largest employer after the public administration, making its production relevant beyond the agricultural trade balance.
Bananas remain an important source of export revenue
Bananas are among Cameroon’s principal sources of export earnings. International sales generated CFAF 67.7 billion for the country in 2025, according to figures from the National Institute of Statistics cited by Investir au Cameroun. That revenue was 84.7% higher than a year earlier.
The July data measure physical shipments rather than export value, so they do not establish whether revenue grew at the same rate as volume. For producers and traders, the figures nevertheless indicate stronger available supply across every active operator. They also show that changes at PHP and CDBM have the greatest effect on Cameroon’s aggregate export performance because the two companies control more than four-fifths of monthly shipments.
