Report reveals 20 billion FCFA drop in wood export revenue.

In the report, NIS said the country recorded a notable decline in the total value of its wood exports, both raw and processed. 

It said total export revenue fell by 20 billion FCFA compared to the same period in 2024. It added that the steepest drop occurred in the finished wood products segment, which generated only 44 billion FCFA between January and March 2025, down from 54 billion FCFA the previous year. 

The foreign report also disclosed that revenue from sawn wood fell by 8 billion FCFA, from about 39 billion FCFA in the first quarter of 2024 to 31 billion FCFA in 2025. 

According to the NIS data, the export decline comes amid rising fiscal pressure on the sector, with revenue from wood veneer sheets also declined, totalling just 3 billion FCFA in the first quarter of 2025, despite export volumes remaining stable at 11,000 tons year-on-year. 

Pinpointing that the causes of the underperformance is complex, but it coincides with a period of rising export taxes, between 2017 and 2024, the export duty on raw logs rose from 17.5% to 75% of the Free on Board, FOB, value of the wood species concerned. 

The NIS noted that more than 80% of domestic wood consumption in Cameroon is supplied by informal operators, making it difficult to obtain reliable data on the formal processed wood market.

Despite the overall sector slump, there is potential for a slight rebound in the second quarter of 2025, with the country overall export revenues felling by 23.3% in the second quarter of 2025 compared with 2024, as noted by NIS.

It also stated that the higher exports of certain products, such as sawn wood, helped soften the broader decline, with successive increases introduced through finance laws amounting to a cumulative tax hike of more than 350% over seven years.

The Cameroon Wood Sector Group, GFBC, estimates that the export duty applicable to this category increased by 165% between 2016 and 2023, though the exact value impact remains unclear and the higher taxes also affect primary processed products such as sawn timber. 

This article was first published in The Guardian Post Edition No:3622 of Wednesday November 12, 2025