The decrease in exports began a couple of years ago. According to ASSOBACAM, the exports reached 279,493 tons in 2015 and plummeted by 30,000 tons in 2016 to 249,610 tons (PHP= 124,875 tons, CDC= 113,574 tons, BPL= 11,161 tons). ASSOBACAM says that the decrease is due to a decrease in production in Cameroon.
The decrease in production is an effect of the secessionist crisis shaking up the North West and South West regions. All the CDC's plantations are in the South West, so they are being directly impacted by the violent anglophone separatist demands. The crisis began in October 2016, and due to the escalating violence the authorities had to shut down most plantations, leading to a sudden decrease in production.
