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Nigeria’s cocoa bean exports to the United States increased more than six fold in 2025, rising from $21.7 million in 2024 to $142 million, the US mission in Nigeria has said.
The figure represents an increase of about 554.4 per cent within one year, highlighting the growing value of Nigeria’s cocoa trade with the US.
“U.S. 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 US mission said in a post on its official Facebook page Tuesday.
The mission said the trade relationship also benefits Nigeria through US agricultural exports, noting that wheat accounts for 67 percent of US agricultural exports to the country.
The trade, it said, represents “fair, two-way trade that works for farmers, businesses, and families on both sides of the Atlantic.”
Nigeria’s cocoa industry has struggled with declining productivity, ageing plantations and growing pressure from urbanisation and population growth, which continue to reduce available farmland in major producing states.
Many cocoa trees are between 20 and 40 years old, while the average cocoa farmer is about 60-years- old. The ageing plantations and farming population have contributed to declining yields and limited youth participation in the sector.
Smallholder farmers also face high borrowing costs, inadequate access to fertilisers and pesticides, poor-quality or counterfeit seedlings, and limited access to affordable financing.
Meanwhile, international regulations, including the European Union Deforestation Regulation (EUDR), are increasing pressure on producers and exporters to demonstrate traceability and ensure that their supply chains are not linked to deforestation.
Nigeria’s limited domestic processing capacity is another major challenge. Historically, more than 80 per cent of the country’s cocoa has been exported in raw form, limiting opportunities for local value addition, industrial development, and job creation.
However, indigenous companies, including Johnvents, which operates in Ondo state, are seeking to expand domestic processing and the production of chocolate and other cocoa-derived products.
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