US Cocoa Demand Drives 554% Surge in Nigerian Cocoa Exports to $142 Million

News in Brief:

— Nigeria’s cocoa bean exports to the United States surged 554.4% to $142 million in 2025, up from $21.7 million in 2024.

— Despite the export boom, ageing plantations, high financing costs and limited local processing continue to constrain Nigeria’s cocoa industry.

The United States Mission in Nigeria has disclosed that Nigeria’s cocoa bean exports to the United States jumped by 554.4 per cent. from $21.7 million in 2024 to $142 million in 2025.

The export growth comes as Nigeria intensifies efforts to diversify its foreign exchange earnings and increase agricultural production. Cocoa remains a major contributor to the country’s non-oil exports.

Data from the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) showed that cocoa beans accounted for ₦596.90 billion out of Nigeria’s ₦1.17 trillion agricultural exports in the first quarter of 2026. Cocoa and its derivatives also represented 41.11 per cent of Nigeria’s non-oil export value in the first half of 2025.

Ageing Farms, Low Processing Remain Concerns

Despite the stronger export performance, structural challenges continue to affect the sector. Many cocoa trees are between 20 and 40 years old, while the average farmer is around 60, raising concerns about productivity and the entry of younger farmers.

Farmers also face high borrowing costs, limited access to farm inputs and poor-quality seedlings. Nigeria’s low processing capacity remains another major challenge, with more than 80 per cent of cocoa historically exported in raw form. This limits opportunities for domestic value addition, industrial growth and job creation.

Nigeria accounted for about 6.1 per cent of its cocoa exports to the US in Q1 2025, ranking fourth among destination markets, even as global cocoa prices declined sharply during the year.