The Cotton Development Corporation (Sodecoton) anticipates a record harvest of 440,000 tons of seed cotton for the 2025-2026 campaign, which will end in May 2026. If this target is achieved, it would represent an increase of 100,000 tons compared to the previous year and mark a historic milestone for the Cameroonian cotton industry, exceeding the 400,000-ton mark for the first time.
This ambitious projection is part of the National Development Strategy 2020-2030 (SND30), which aims for a production of 600,000 tons by 2029. However, this growth is subject to major challenges, including climate hazards and pests. Heavy rains between August and September can cause flooding in production areas, while the proliferation of jassids, destructive insects, directly threatens cotton plants.
Mr. Nadama, Director of Agricultural Production at Sodecoton, highlighted during a presentation on March 31, 2026, in Garoua, the increasing impact of floods and jassid attacks on the cotton sector. Between 2023 and 2025, cultivated areas decreased from 234,000 to 197,000 hectares. In 2024, 11,000 hectares were completely destroyed, and 17,000 hectares were partially damaged by jassids. Yields also fell from 1,600 kg/ha to 1,300 kg/ha, resulting in revenue losses of more than 10 billion FCFA per year for the industry.
These difficulties compromise the repayment of agricultural loans granted to producers, with arrears reaching 2 billion FCFA. Despite these obstacles, cotton remains a key export product for Cameroon, representing 6% of non-oil exports and 14.1% of the GDP of the export agricultural sector. Sodecoton, a major player in the sector, employs more than 2,500 permanent and 3,500 seasonal workers in the northern regions of Cameroon.
To mitigate the effects of climate change on cotton production, Sodecoton has signed a five-year cooperation agreement with the National Observatory on Climate Change (ONACC). This agreement aims to strengthen the resilience of cotton production to the impacts of climate change, including through climate monitoring, assessment of the economic costs of disruptions, and awareness-raising among producers.
