How structural neglect weakens Nigeria’s Cocoa earnings

What the report says

Vanguard reports that Nigeria’s weak agricultural value chains are limiting how much farmers earn from cocoa and coffee, despite large global demand for the commodities. The concern was raised in Akure by Comrade Adeola Adegoke, Global President of the Cocoa and Coffee Farmers Alliance Association of Africa, during a two-day stakeholders’ meeting and the launch of a 1,000-hectare coffee production project by Lingzhi Global Nigeria Limited and the Ondo State chapter of the National Coffee and Tea Association of Nigeria.

According to the report, Adegoke blamed the earnings gap on long-term underinvestment, poor value-chain development and insufficient government backing. He said the global coffee market was valued at $284.8 billion in 2025 and could reach $486.2 billion by 2035, while Nigeria remains marginal in production and exports despite suitable land, climate and labour.

Vanguard cited Adegoke as saying Nigeria’s coffee output has fallen from about 95,000 bags in the 1960s to 1,844 metric tonnes of unroasted coffee, with average yields of 500 kilogrammes per hectare. He also said Nigeria recorded no coffee export value in the first nine months of 2024 and currently ranks 147th globally, with exports worth $59,900. He contrasted this with Ethiopia, Uganda and Kenya, which have built stronger coffee export industries.

The Ondo project was presented as a possible model to raise productivity, jobs and farmer income through improved agronomy and market access. Agriculture Minister Abubakar Kyari, represented by officials, said the initiative aligns with federal priorities on food security, export promotion and economic diversification, while Lingzhi Global CEO Blessing Tangtur urged greater youth involvement in coffee production and processing.