Emeka Okoroanyanwu
Nigeria’s agricultural export rose to N152.3 billion in the first six months of 2019 (January – June). This is according to foreign trade reports released by the National Bureau Statistics (NBS) covering the first and second quarter of 2019.
According to the reports, Nigeria’s major agricultural exports so far in 2019 include Sesamum seeds (whether or not broken), Cashew nuts, fermented Cocoa Beans, Superior quality raw cocoa beans, Others include Frozen shrimps and prawns, Ginger and Natural Cocoa butter, ginger and agro-foods.
Analysis of reports gathered from the NBS reports showed that agricultural goods exported from Nigeria rose by 18% between the second half of 2018 (July – December) and the first half of 2019. Specifically, in the second half of 2018, agricultural export was estimated at N128.5 billion, compared to N152.3 billion in first 2019.
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Similarly, comparing Nigeria’s agricultural export performance in the first half of 2019 with the corresponding half of 2018 (N148.1 billion), it shows that agricultural export rose by 3%.
Sesamum seeds remain Nigeria’s agricultural export biggest earner in the past years. The trend continued in the first half of 2019 as N60.6 billion worth of Sesamum seeds were exported from Nigeria. On the other hand, Sesame oil and its fraction also made the top 10 agricultural export with N928.1 million.
A further look into the various reports showed that Japan, Turkey, China, Belgium, South Korea, and Germany are Nigeria’s biggest markets for Sesamum seeds followed by fermented cocoa beans estimated at N31 billion and raw cocoa beans (N17.15 billion) and Natural cocoa butter (N2.26 billion). The export destinations for Nigeria’s cocoa include the Netherlands, Belgium, Germany, Indonesia, and Malaysia.
Similarly, Cashew nuts are Nigeria’s third-biggest agricultural export. An estimated sum of N8 billion was generated from cashew nut exported from Nigeria. Vietnam, India, Tanzania, Russia, and Netherlands were Nigeria’s biggest markets for Cashew nuts in half-year 2019.
