• Cameroon’s pineapple exports fell by an average 18.1% between 2020 and 2025.

• Exports to the EU, Cameroon’s main market, declined 19.5% over the same period.

• Cameroon holds only 0.1% of global pineapple market share, far behind Côte d’Ivoire’s 0.9%.

Cameroon faces a sustained contraction in pineapple production, and the decline has accelerated over the past five years.

The Ministry of Economy’s Competitiveness Committee reports that Cameroon’s pineapple exports dropped by an average 18.1% between 2020 and 2025. Exports to the European Union, the country’s main destination, fell 19.5% during the same period. The report states that “the pineapple sector records a decline in total exports (-18.1%) and an even sharper fall to the EU (-19.5%). This suggests competitiveness or compliance issues that market access alone cannot resolve.”

The report adds that the challenges go beyond trade openness and point to deeper structural constraints.

The fall in exports in 2024 further weakens Cameroon’s already marginal position on the international market. Since 2019, the country has held just 0.1% of global market share, compared with 0.9% for Côte d’Ivoire, according to the Competitiveness Committee.

This stagnation prevented Cameroon from capitalizing on rising global demand. Official data show that world pineapple consumption increased by 7.3% in 2023. Despite its recognized potential, Cameroon remains outside the growth trajectory of the global pineapple trade.

The Committee attributes the country’s underperformance to lower productivity and limited cultivated areas relative to other producers. It argues that these factors continue to restrain Cameroon’s capacity to compete in a market “with significant potential demand.”

Using FAO data, the report notes that Cameroon’s yields per hectare are half those of Costa Rica. Costa Rica remains the world’s leading pineapple exporter, followed by the Philippines. In 2023, the two countries held 49.2% and 14.8% of global market share respectively. Costa Rica maintained a stable share of just over 47% between 2019 and 2023, underscoring its ability to consolidate its dominant position while Cameroon struggles to emerge.

This article was initially published in French by BRM (Business in Cameroun)

Adapted in English by Ange Jason Quenum