Nigeria has suspended the export of raw shea nuts for six months in a sweeping policy shift designed to boost local processing and increase returns for farmers – www.naijnaira.com reports.
Mundo Deportivo confirmed that Vice President Kashim Shettima announced the directive during a stakeholder session at the presidential villa, explaining that the decision is subject to review after the first six months.
The government said the temporary halt will secure supplies for domestic processors, reduce informal trade, and expand industrial capacity across the shea value chain.
Minister of Agriculture and Food Security Abubakar Kyari stressed that the ban takes effect immediately, describing it as a turning point in Nigeria’s agro-industrial strategy.
Countries like Ghana and Burkina Faso have already implemented similar restrictions, and Nigeria now joins the list of producers seeking to capture greater export value.
According to Shettima, Nigeria controls nearly 40 percent of the world’s shea output but earns less than 1 percent of the $6.5 billion global market.
“This is unacceptable. We project $300 million annually in the short term, and by 2027, a tenfold increase,” he said during the meeting.
President Tinubu, writing on his official X handle, called shea Nigeria’s “green wealth” and emphasized that exporting raw nuts would no longer continue.
“Nigeria’s shea is our green wealth. We produce nearly 40% of the world’s supply, yet capture less than 1% of its $6.5bn global market. That imbalance ends now,” the President declared.
The President said the decision was based on the recommendation of the Presidential Food Systems Coordinating Unit and will support processors, most of whom rely on women-led labor.
“I have approved a six-month suspension of raw shea exports… This is a win for our farmers, for our women, and for Nigeria,” Tinubu added.
Vice President Shettima echoed the same sentiment, saying the ban would “protect livelihoods, dignity, and opportunities for millions of Nigerian women.”
Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, Director-General of the World Trade Organisation, earlier noted that more than 16 million women in West Africa earn a living from shea farming and processing.
She explained that about 85 percent of exports are used as cocoa butter equivalence, while the rest goes into the fast-growing cosmetics sector, which is valued at $600 million and projected to hit $850 million by 2027.
The shea tree, which takes more than a decade to fruit but can live up to 200 years, is grown largely in Niger, Kwara, Kebbi, Nasarawa, and Kogi States.
Nigeria’s yearly output stands at about 500,000 metric tons, with demand spread across the U.S., U.K., Germany, Japan, and emerging markets in Eastern Europe.
With Brazil opening its doors to Nigerian shea butter in the next three months, the administration believes the suspension will drive new opportunities for trade and industry.
“Government is not closing doors; we are opening opportunities,” Shettima said, assuring stakeholders that the reform would translate into lasting prosperity.
Article updated 6 days ago. Content is written and modified by multiple authors.
