By Cynthia Alo
Nigeria’s agricultural export earnings fell by 36.09 per cent year-on-year to N802.99 billion in the second quarter of 2026 (Q2’26) from N1.26 trillion in the corresponding period of 2025 (Q2 ’25), latest data from the National Bureau of Statistics, NBS, has shown.
The figure also represents a 31.51 per cent decline from the N1.17 trillion recorded in the first quarter of 2026.
Meanwhile, the top five major agro exports in Q2’26, were ‘Cashew nuts in shell,’ valued at N268.62 billion, Standard quality cocoa beans with N154.31 billion, Sesamum seeds with N96.03 billion, Superior quality cocoa beans valued at N58.82 billion, and Soya beans (excluding seeds) with N50.22 billion.
The data showed that agricultural products were mainly exported to Asia, Europe, Vietnam, India, Malaysia, The Netherlands, China and Vietnam.
Agricultural stakeholders, however, believe that the sector can be strengthened through local processing, improved infrastructure, access to finance, reliable energy, stronger quality control and better links between farmers and international markets.
Agriculture cannot work in isolation
For the Commissioner for Agriculture and Food Systems, Lagos State, Ms. Abisola Olusanya, the country cannot transform agriculture by treating it as the responsibility of farmers or one government ministry.
Speaking to Vanguard at a press conference in Lagos, Olusanya said agriculture must be connected to energy, finance, data, infrastructure, logistics and other sectors if Nigeria wants it to become a major export earner.
According to her, agriculture cannot thrive in isolation because every part of the value chain depends on another.
She said: “The only way you can have agriculture becoming a major export earner is when we don’t just see the space as being for a select group of people. I’m working on several articles now. It is a crossover between agriculture, energy, data, and finance. The entire system is so intertwined, but we end up always seeing the solution as a silo.”
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