Nigeria’s cocoa bean exports to the United States rose by 554.4 per cent to $142 million in 2025, from $21.7 million recorded in 2024, amid growing demand for the commodity and efforts to strengthen the country’s non-oil export earnings.
The United States Mission in Nigeria disclosed the figures in a post on its official Facebook page on Tuesday, describing the development as evidence of increasing demand for Nigerian cocoa in the American market.
“US demand for Nigerian cocoa is booming. Cocoa bean exports to the United States jumped from $21.7 million in 2024 to $142 million in 2025,” the mission said.
It added that trade between both countries also benefited Nigeria through American agricultural exports, noting that wheat accounted for 67 per cent of US agricultural exports to Nigeria.
The mission described the relationship as “fair, two-way trade that works for farmers, businesses, and families on both sides of the Atlantic.”
The increase comes as Nigeria seeks to diversify its sources of foreign exchange earnings, revive agricultural production and expand local processing to retain more economic value from its commodities.
However, industry challenges, including ageing cocoa plantations, limited access to affordable financing, declining productivity and inadequate domestic processing capacity, continue to constrain the sector.
Many Nigerian cocoa trees are between 20 and 40 years old, while the average cocoa farmer is about 60 years old, raising concerns about the sustainability of production and the participation of younger farmers.
Smallholder farmers also face high borrowing costs, inadequate access to fertilisers and pesticides, poor-quality seedlings and limited access to affordable agricultural financing.
Nigeria’s limited processing capacity has also restricted the economic benefits it derives from cocoa, with more than 80 per cent of its cocoa historically exported in raw form, limiting opportunities for industrial development, job creation and value addition.
According to data from the National Bureau of Statistics, Nigeria exported agricultural products worth N1.17 trillion in the first quarter of 2026, with cocoa beans accounting for N596.90 billion.
Cocoa and its derivatives also accounted for 41.11 per cent of Nigeria’s non-oil export value in the first half of 2025.
Despite the growth in exports to the US, the country accounted for about 6.1 per cent of Nigeria’s cocoa exports in the first quarter of 2025, ranking fourth among destination markets.
The increase also comes against a backdrop of changing international trade conditions and declining global cocoa prices. Prices fell from approximately $10,950 per tonne at the beginning of 2025 to about $5,400 by November that year.
Sunday Ehigiator
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