Cameroon currently produces about 250,000 metric tons of bananas annually, which production is almost wholly exported especially to Europe. By 2020 at most, stakeholders may double the production to about 500,000 metric tons per annum.

 But some challenges must be surmounted to meet the exigencies of the world market in both quality and quantity.

Speaking in Yaounde yesterday June 11 during an accord signing ceremony between government and the European Union on one hand and government and banana producers on the other, the president of the association of banana producers in the country, Franklin Ngoni Njie, also General Manager of Cameroon Development Corporation (CDC), said the challenges of the sector are many. “The biggest problem we have is the fight against banana leaf disease called ‘”Sigatoka” which is a major threat to sustainable yield.  It demands three times efforts that a correspondent producer in South America would put in. Our area is more disease-prone than for producers in South America. This puts us at a disadvantage if we have to compete in the same market. Their cost of production is considerably lower than ours here and this means they can sell cheaper than us here,” he said.

Another challenge that producers are grappling with is yield per hectare which is disturbingly low. “When you consider our yields per hectare now, it is far below the norm. For example, we have fields in CDC which produce less than 30 metric tons per hectare. This is 10 metric tons below the expected production. Attaining 40 metric tons per hectare is achievable; it requires more and better efforts. This entails increasing the planting area,” Mr Njie said.

The assistance of the European Union is therefore expected to give producers leverage to find a relatively common ground in the market place. The assistance, within the framework of European Union “Accompanying Measures for ACP Banana Producing Countries programme,” consists in a FCFA 27.29 billion assistance from the European Union. Government will contribute in form of fiscal exonerations and other considerations to the tune of FCFA 28.9 billion and banana producers are expected to chip in FCFA 47.26 billion. According to the Ambassador and Head of the European Union Delegation in Cameroon, Raul Mateus Paula, the aim is to improve the competitiveness of the sector as well as the standards of the sector which stands tall as one of the main export produce and employer in the country. “In 2011, export earnings from banana in Cameroon stood at FCFA 97.7 billion and it is the fourth export produce from Cameroon to the European Union after crude oil, cocoa and wood,” the EU Ambassador said.

To the Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, Essimi Menye and the Minister Delegate in the Ministry of the Economy, Planning and Regional Development, Yaouba Abdoulaye, getting competitive so as not to drown in the deep sea of the international market is imperative if banana must continually occupy its place in the country’s economy.