₦airaland Forum

Amid the rise in cocoa production and export in Nigeria, shipments of the product to Belgium in 2024 overtook crude oil, Nigeria’s main export product, the Belgian Ambassador to Nigeria, Pieter Leenknegt, has said.

Nigeria has been experiencing a substantial increase in cocoa export revenue, fuelled by the devaluation of the naira and renewed global demand.

The rise since 2024 is also driven by climatic challenges in the Ivory Coast and Ghana, two top cocoa producers, which have reduced their production capacities.

According to the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS), cocoa exports rose by 606 per cent in the fourth quarter of 2024. Exports rose from about ₦171 billion in the last quarter of 2023 to ₦1.2 trillion in the last quarter of 2024. The figures are expected to be higher this year as Nigeria generated N1.32 trillion in revenue from cocoa exports in the first quarter of 2025

Cocoa exports contributed 77 per cent of the total agricultural export of N 1.70 trillion in the first quarter of 2025.

Speaking on the increased export of Nigeria’s cocoa to Belgium, the Belgian ambassador said this presents an opportunity for Belgium to diversify its trade with Nigeria, shifting from its traditional focus on crude oil.

“Nigeria’s exports to Belgium have historically also been mostly crude oil. Now, that is no longer true in 2024, because now cocoa has overtaken crude oil as a main product of export to Belgium,” he said in an exclusive interview with PREMIUM TIMES.

Last year, Belgium was a top destination country for cocoa shipped from Nigeria.

However, experts have said the changes are not primarily triggered by increased production in Nigeria but rather by the naira devaluation, which has fuelled more exports of the product by farmers and traders. Although there are cocoa processing companies in Nigeria that transform cocoa into finished products like chocolate, many farmers and traders now prefer to export the product so as to earn more from foreign exchange.

On Belgium’s trade with Nigeria, Mr Leenknegt said, “I often tell Nigerians and Belgians alike, Belgian-Nigerian relations in 2025 are going to be about agriculture and health.”

Meanwhile, refined petroleum imports from Belgium to Nigeria have begun to decline.

Mr Leenknegt said the dip in Nigeria’s import of petroleum products from Belgium is also likely to grow due to the operations of the Dangote Refinery.

https://www.premiumtimesng.com/news/headlines/812921-cocoa-overtakes-crude-oil-as-nigerias-major-export-to-belgium-in-2024-ambassador.html#:~:text=Nigeria's%20cocoa%20exports%20rose%20by,the%20fourth%20quarter%20of%202024.&text=Amid%20the%20rise%20in%20cocoa,%2C%20Pieter%20Leenknegt%2C%20has%20said.

Fantastic news.

I was with a state government official recently when he said that Akwa Ibom is on the coat tail of his state (Ondo) and may likely surpass Ondo as the highest producer of cocoa in a few years.

Interestingly, I also heard that many of the farm hands and workers in Ondo cocoa farms are from Akwa Ibom. Many of the original owner families stopped showing much interest in the farms when cocoa prices was depressed for so many years. Now that prices have shot through the roof, they are returning to reclaim their farms.

Nigeria should certainly take advantage of the current international market situation.

This will will make many obidient n ipob sad. Make God help Nigeria from enemies within.

Their mentor Obi keep shouting from consimption to production yet he keep importing from toothpick to anything unimaginable.

DeLaRue:
Fantastic news.

I was with a state government official recently when he said that Akwa Ibom is on the coat tail of his state (Ondo) and may likely surpass Ondo as the highest producer of cocoa in a few years.

Interestingly, I also heard that many of the farm hands and workers in Ondo cocoa farms are from Akwa Ibom. Many of the original owner families were stopped showing much interest in the farms when cocoa prices was depressed for so many years. Now that prices have shot through the roof, they are returning to reclaim their farms.

Nigeria should certainly take advantage of the current international market situation.

Interesting times lie ahead for the cocoa industry.

Good news.

Amid the rise in cocoa production and export in Nigeria, shipments of the product to Belgium in 2024 overtook crude oil, Nigeria’s main export product, the Belgian Ambassador to Nigeria, Pieter Leenknegt, has said.

DeLaRue:
Fantastic news.

I was with a state government official recently when he said that Akwa Ibom is on the coat tail of his state (Ondo) and may likely surpass Ondo as the highest producer of cocoa in a few years.

Interestingly, I also heard that many of the farm hands and workers in Ondo cocoa farms are from Akwa Ibom. Many of the original owner families were stopped showing much interest in the farms when cocoa prices was depressed for so many years. Now that prices have shot through the roof, they are returning to reclaim their farms.

Nigeria should certainly take advantage of the current international market situation.

I am expecting more of these news during 2026. It came so early. Propaganda machine are already at work

Good but

We should be more ambitious

Everything they do with cocoa in Belgium we can do here

Let us not celebrate crumbs when we can get the loaf

DeLaRue:
Fantastic news.

I was with a state government official recently when he said that Akwa Ibom is on the coat tail of his state (Ondo) and may likely surpass Ondo as the highest producer of cocoa in a few years.

Interestingly, I also heard that many of the farm hands and workers in Ondo cocoa farms are from Akwa Ibom. Many of the original owner families were stopped showing much interest in the farms when cocoa prices was depressed for so many years. Now that prices have shot through the roof, they are returning to reclaim their farms.

Nigeria should certainly take advantage of the current international market situation.

I have plans for a large farm estate development in akwa ibom and its for 2 major agro
Cocoa and oil palm

Astoundingman:
This is a good news. We need to be doing well in other sectors, not only oil industry.

Are we doing well in the oil industry?

Our problem in Africa is mediocrity
Among the biggest oil companies are SHELL,TOTAL AGIP

All from countries without a drop of oil

We should not be exporting a drop of of unrefined oil
We have so much gas but cannot use it for our people

We should long have outgrown the export of commodities

What we need is factories and jobs


70% of the World cocoa is from West Africa mostly from slave like labour

In the past they used to import slaves now they outsource it
We stay at home and slave


Would Trump tolerate this situation
A situation where 70% of cocoa in the world is from America and they don't get to make any chocolate

Why do we accept it and even jubilate?

ignorance

When we are informed what do we do?

WHEN THE BRITISH BRING IT BACK TO THIS SICK NATION, THE NIGERIAN WILL CALLED IT CHOCOLATE, YOU FAIL TO PROCESS IT HERE IN NIGERIA, AS YOU GUYS HAVE NO IDEA😀

DeLaRue:
Fantastic news.

I was with a state government official recently when he said that Akwa Ibom is on the coat tail of his state (Ondo) and may likely surpass Ondo as the highest producer of cocoa in a few years.

Interestingly, I also heard that many of the farm hands and workers in Ondo cocoa farms are from Akwa Ibom. Many of the original owner families were stopped showing much interest in the farms when cocoa prices was depressed for so many years. Now that prices have shot through the roof, they are returning to reclaim their farms.

Nigeria should certainly take advantage of the current international market situation.

they told Nigerian not to process it here in Nigeria,

DeLaRue:
Fantastic news.

I was with a state government official recently when he said that Akwa Ibom is on the coat tail of his state (Ondo) and may likely surpass Ondo as the highest producer of cocoa in a few years.

Interestingly, I also heard that many of the farm hands and workers in Ondo cocoa farms are from Akwa Ibom. Many of the original owner families were stopped showing much interest in the farms when cocoa prices was depressed for so many years. Now that prices have shot through the roof, they are returning to reclaim their farms.

Nigeria should certainly take advantage of the current international market situation.

Cross River State is the highest producer of cocos

UpaIweka:
This will will make many obidient n ipob sad. Make God help Nigeria from enemies within.

Their mentor Obi keep shouting from consimption to production yet he keep importing from toothpick to anything unimaginable.

Just imagine SW still top in exportation of cash crop followed by SS. What exactly is our SE neighbour good for for goodness sake

UpaIweka:
This will will make many obidient n ipob sad. Make God help Nigeria from enemies within.

Their mentor Obi keep shouting from consimption to production yet he keep importing from toothpick to anything unimaginable.

Sad as how? The news is half baked......what is the value of exports in dollars?

Good news at last, waiting for the haters of Nigeria to come dispute as usual because to them Nigeria must never work because of their selfish heart. Nigeria must be great

Let me embark on cocoa farming, please who can teach me how to start cocoa farming??

this indeed great news for lovers of Nigeria and I know this news will cause some discomfort in the camp of enemies of Nigeria.

Cocoa has always been one of the top agricultural export from Nigeria and we all know this as been the major source of income in the old western region which the late sage Awolowo used to develop most infrastructures in western region including what today forms the 90% of Lagos

That’s why sometimes when some ignorant clowns with no knowledge of history come online and try to rewrite history and also say SW don’t have natural resources,I just laugh at there ignorance aside from Ondo state being one of the major oil producing state, it’s also blessed with cocoa and other natural minerals.

Most part of Sw are also blessed with good soil for cocoa production and today it is the number one agricultural product exported from the country. I hope the Sw govt can leverage on this to create revenue and also generate employment for the youth population.

True. Last year/early this year cocoa farmers around me kept buying cars worth 15-25 mil

Wow. This is goodnews oo. Hope it continues this way and expands

Small nyansh dey shake ooo
Trying to drive a sterile narrative that Cocoa contributes anything tangible to the national purse?
Any increases in terms of the quantity of financial accruals from the ao called cocoa exports, has nothing to do with any wonderful economic impact associated with the policies of the present rudderless regime. It is all about an increase based on the devaluation of the naira! Put succinctly; the dollar gives ypu more worthless naira these days. To start with, how much quantity of Oil has Nigeria been selling to Belgium? What next? Agbe-rosim overtakes Nigeria gas export to Bhutan and Laos!
Lagos must be feeding us some Time immemorial naa

If Tinubu is serious about diversifying the economy, Nigeria's FX earnings from agriproducts can surpass those of crude oil.

So much NOISE ogbeni.

Declare Oduduwa Republic as you have arrived. Don't you love developing your region without anybody doing so for you?

Oduduwa Republic will be a success Story and Yoruba will enjoy total monopoly of their Country. At least IGBOs (you hate) won't be disturbing you again.

ProudlyLagos:
this indeed great news for lovers of Nigeria and I know this news will cause some discomfort in the camp of enemies of Nigeria.

Cocoa has always been one of the top agricultural export from Nigeria and we all know this as been the major source of income in the old western region which the late sage Awolowo used to develop most infrastructures in western region including what today forms the 90% of Lagos

That’s why sometimes when some ignorant clowns with no knowledge of history come online and try to rewrite history and also say SW don’t have natural resources,I just laugh at there ignorance aside from Ondo state being one of the major oil producing state, it’s also blessed with cocoa and other natural minerals.

Most part of Sw are also blessed with good soil for cocoa production and today it is the number one agricultural product exported from the country. I hope the Sw govt can leverage on this to create revenue and also generate employment for the youth population.

Eboofa:
Sad as how? The news is half baked......what is the value of exports in dollars?

Johnvents, a Nigerian agribusiness and manufacturing firm, on Tuesday signed a $40.5 million loan deal with UK’s Development Finance Institute (DFI) to more than double its cocoa processing capacity to 30,000 metric tons annually.

Known for exporting processed cocoa butter and powder, including to Europe, the firm is committed to driving sustainable growth across the agricultural value chain, including production, processing, manufacturing and
commodity trading and food products in locally and globally.

Buy the cocoa from Nigeria at maybe $1 convert it to chocolate and sell to Nigeria at $3

Belgium is a known cocoa hub now...
Follow this topic

UpaIweka:
This will will make many obidient n ipob sad. Make God help Nigeria from enemies within.

Their mentor Obi keep shouting from consimption to production yet he keep importing from toothpick to anything unimaginable.

I just want to ask oo is this cocoa just for export?

Chocolate and beverages are made from cocao and we can do it here, so why export our raw materials and import the finished products ? It is just a simple process

This is good news. I'm also into cashew and palm kernel business. I export to North Africa countries on a medium quantity. Agricultural business is good o if you have enough money.

2special:
Buy the cocoa from Nigeria at maybe $1 convert it to chocolate and sell to Nigeria at $3

Gather your family,community to Open a company, process cocoa into finished products and start selling it for $3 abi them forbids nna.

aribisala0:
Are we doing well in the oil industry?

Our problem in Africa is mediocrity
Among the biggest oil companies are SHELL,TOTAL AGIP

All from countries without a drop of oil

We should not be exporting a drop of of unrefined oil
We have so much gas but cannot use it for our people

We should long have outgrown the export of commodities

What we need is factories and jobs


70% of the World cocoa is from West Africa mostly from slave like labour

In the past they used to import slaves now they outsource it
We stay at home and slave


Would Trump tolerate this situation
A situation where 70% of cocoa in the world is from America and they don't get to make any chocolate

Why do we accept it and even jubilate?

ignorance

When we are informed what do we do?

She'll=Britain, they have abundant oil
Total= France, they have oil
Agip=Italy, they have oil