The war between Russia and Ukraine; the high cost of inputs and unfavorable weather conditions are the factors.
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According to preliminary data from a recent report published by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), exports of tropical fruits (pineapple, avocado, mango, papaya) from Cameroon increased from 3 242 tonnes (between 2016 and 2020) to 3,027 tonnes in 2021, to reach 2,279 tonnes in 2022.
The FAO explains that it is a first for more than a decade, that the world trade in tropical fruits contracted in 2022, to be below 10 billion Dollars, or more than 6,000 billion FCFA, down by 5% compared to 2021.
« But this contraction does not mean that consumers are losing love for tropical fruits. Supply is the main driver, adding to persistent bottlenecks in global supply chains underlines the report.
The FAO refers to unfavorable weather conditions and the drop in supplies to Russia and Ukraine following the war. The two countries import more than 190,000 tons of tropical fruits each year. A rise in prices also driven by the rise in input, energy and transport costs, but which was insufficient to absorb the additional costs. These are all factors that are at the origin of soaring prices on the international market.
Between January and August 2022, the average unit values of avocado exports thus remained about 16% higher than their average from January to August 2021, at 1.7 million FCFA, the highest level recorded since 2017. Mango and papaya prices were 5.8% higher in 2022 than in 2021.
commodafrica.com reports that until September 2022, unit values of global pineapple exports were on average 20% higher than the same period of 2021, due to strong demand in the two main destinations, the United States of America and the European Union, as well as a shortage of supply from Central America.
