Nigeria risks losing greater than $1 billion in annual export earnings if exporters fail to adjust to the European Union Deforestation Regulation (EUDR), the Nigerian Export Promotion Council (NEPC) has warned.
Benedict Hegbe, Regional Coordinator of NEPC, gave the warning at a seminar on the EUDR and the National Single Window (NSW), organised by the council on Tuesday in Lagos.
He stated the regulation requires exporters to exhibit that commodities shipped to the EU are deforestation-free, legally produced and supported by the required due diligence documentation.
The affected commodities embrace cocoa, rubber, wooden, oil palm, soya, espresso, cattle, and their derived merchandise.
Cocoa exports face best threat
Hegbe recognized cocoa as Nigeria’s most uncovered export commodity below the regulation, noting that cocoa exports to the EU have been valued at 1.49 billion euros in 2024, accounting for 89% of Nigeria’s cocoa exports.
- He expressed concern over gaps in farm mapping, stating that solely about half of Nigeria’s 350,000 smallholder cocoa plots had been geolocated.
- The regulation requires related commodities to be traceable to the land the place they have been produced, making geolocation and documentation necessary for exporters searching for continued entry to the European market.
- Hegbe stated rubber and wooden exports additionally confronted various ranges of threat, urging exporters to confirm product classifications and guarantee compliance earlier than cargo.
- He suggested farmers, cooperatives and exporters to strengthen traceability and documentation methods and leverage the Nigeria National Traceability System to fulfill the necessities.
He additionally urged stakeholders to start preparations early to guard Nigeria’s export earnings, significantly forward of the fourth quarter of 2026.
Exporters urged to organize for EUDR necessities
According to Hegbe, massive operators have been anticipated to face the regulation’s necessities from December 30, 2026, whereas small and medium-sized operators have been anticipated to conform from June 30, 2027.
- Also talking on the seminar, Assistant Comptroller Oyama Ekok-Oyama, Chief Examiner on the Lilypond Export Command of the Nigeria Customs Service, stated the EUDR was launched to deal with world local weather change issues.
- He defined that the EU regulation seeks to cut back greenhouse fuel emissions and stop the commerce of commodities linked to deforestation.
Ekok-Oyama added that compliance extends past forest safety to incorporate labour rights and correct documentation, describing the Customs Service as a key gatekeeper in making certain adherence to export laws.
National Single Window export module to go stay in November
Ekok-Oyama disclosed that the export module of the National Single Window would go stay in November, offering a one-stop platform for export documentation.
He stated massive operators could be required to combine into the system by December 30, 2026, whereas smaller corporations would have till June 2027 to conform.
The platform is anticipated to streamline export documentation and help exporters in assembly regulatory necessities.
Nigeria’s push for EUDR compliance
Nigeria has taken steps to strengthen agricultural traceability and put together its cocoa trade for stricter European Union necessities, though gaps in farm mapping stay a priority.
In March 2026, Nairametrics reported that cocoa and cashew were major contributors to Nigeria’s agricultural exports in 2025, with cocoa accounting for twenty-four.61% of complete non-oil exports, based on the report.
