• Earned CFA 67.7bn ($110m) from banana exports in 2025
• Nigeria missing out from $147.82bn global banana market
• To rise to $183bn by 2031
Cameroon, Nigeria’s eastern neighbour, witnessed sharp increase in its banana exports by 34.1 percent in July 2026, with all three producers active in the country recording higher shipments, according to data from the Cameroon Banana Association (Assobacam) reviewed by Business in Cameroon.
Producers of the tropical crop exported a combined 20,577 tonnes during the month under review up from 15,336 tonnes in July 2025.
Whereas across the border in Nigeria, especially in Cross River State’s Boki Local Government Area, where broad belts of land covered with banana trees, are left unattended to, Nigeria earns zero naira from exports from such unharnessed banana farms in Erumekpan, and many other parts of Boki Local Government Area.
According to the World Bank, Nigeria produces about eight million metric tonnes of bananas annually, placing the country among the world’s top producers of the fruit. However almost this entire volume is consumed within the Nigerian domestic market rather than exported.
Another data said Nigeria produces 6.9 to 8 million metric tonnes (of bananas) annually, almost all of it goes toward local consumption. High post-harvest losses, weak supply chains, and a lack of cold storage prevent the country from competing significantly on the banana international market worth over $147.82 billion.
The failure of Nigeria to copy Cameroon’s example causes the country to miss out from the global banana market valued at approximately $147.82 billion.
Industry reports estimate steady growth, projecting the market to reach roughly $183 billion over the next five years.
For Cameroon, the strongest banana exports growth came from Compagnie des Bananes de Mondoni (CDBM), the second Cameroonian subsidiary of French group Compagnie Fruitière de Marseille.
According to Assobacam, CDBM’s exports rose 96.6 percent from 1,685 tonnes in July 2025 to 3,313 tonnes a year later, an increase of 1,628 tonnes.
In addition, Plantations du Haut Penja (PHP), Compagnie Fruitière’s main subsidiary in Cameroon, increased its exports by 33 percent over the same period. The country’s largest banana producer shipped 13,577 tonnes in July 2026, up 3,369 tonnes from 10,208 tonnes a year earlier.
Bananas remain Cameroon’s major source of export revenue. According to Cameroon’s National Institute of Statistics (INS), in 2025, international banana sales generated CFA67.7 billion (about $110 million) for the country, up 84.7 percent year-on-year.
Assobacam data show that Compagnie Fruitière’s two local subsidiaries exported a combined 16,870 tonnes of bananas in July 2026. Together, they accounted for 82 percent of Cameroon’s banana exports during the month.
The remaining 18 percent came from the Cameroon Development Corporation (CDC), the industry’s only state-owned operator. It also became the only producer under domestic ownership after Compagnie Fruitière subsidiaries acquired the assets of Boh Plantations PLC in 2025.
CDC, Cameroon’s second-largest employer after the public administration, exported 3,687 tons of bananas in July 2026. Shipments rose seven percent, or 244 tonnes, from 3,443 tonnes in July 2025.
