While cocoa and oil dragged Cameroon's export earnings down in the first quarter, bananas moved the other way. The country exported 122,001 metric tons in the first six months of 2026, up 17.6% on the same period last year, according to figures compiled by the Cameroon Banana Association (Assobacam).
Who exported what
The growth was uneven across the three exporters, based on Assobacam data reported by Lefisk:
- PHP shipped 86,267 tons, up about 18% from 70,857.
- CDC shipped 21,113 tons, up 3.5% from 20,371.
- CDBM shipped 14,621 tons, up 36.1% from 9,336.
PHP supplies roughly seven of every ten tons, so its performance largely sets the national result. CDBM's jump is the sharpest, though from a smaller base.
A weak June for CDC
The momentum slowed in June. Cameroon exported 15,554 tons that month, 3.4% below the 16,105 tons shipped in June 2025, and Business in Cameroon attributed the dip to lower exports from CDC. The company, which is state-owned, has been the weakest link in the sector this year, and one of its recent monthly figures was the lowest of 2026.
Why it matters beyond the plantations
Bananas and plantains rose 27.9% in export value in the first quarter, according to CNEF data, at a time when total exports fell 23.6%. The contrast is useful context for a country whose foreign currency depends heavily on cocoa, crude oil and gas. Cocoa benchmark prices fell from $8.08 per kilogram in March 2025 to $3.24 a year later, and coffee also weakened: the same agriculture review cites World Bank figures putting arabica at $7.37 per kilogram in the first quarter, down 17.4%, and robusta at $3.90, down 31.5%. Bananas are not priced like those crops, which helps explain the difference.
A possible new buyer
Algeria's state-owned MADAR Holding has said it wants to import Cameroonian bananas and coffee and to invest in the country's export-oriented agriculture, according to Business in Cameroon. No volumes or timelines have been announced, so for now it is an expression of interest rather than a contract.
The test for the second half
Banana exports are not large enough to replace lost cocoa and hydrocarbon income, and the sector depends on a few operators, with CDC's performance the open question. For investors and suppliers, the opportunities sit around the plantations: packaging, cold-chain logistics, port handling at Douala and inputs. If the first-half pace holds, 2026 could be a record-strength year for a crop that is rarely at the centre of Cameroon's export story.
