The Federal Government on Wednesday intensified efforts to transform Nigeria from a major exporter of raw shea nuts into a leading producer of high-value shea products, unveiling plans alongside industry stakeholders to deepen local processing and secure a larger share of the global market.
Despite accounting for more than 40 per cent of global shea nut production, Nigeria currently captures less than six per cent of the global shea butter market, a disparity the Nigeria Commodity Exchange says reflects years of exporting raw commodities with little value addition.
Data presented at the NCX Shea Programme Stakeholders’ Forum in Abuja showed that Nigeria produced about 359,000 tonnes of shea nuts in 2024, making it the world’s largest producer.
However, the country continues to earn only a fraction of the value generated from processed shea products sold across Europe, North America and Asia.
The forum, themed “Adding Value at Home: A Fair
This post was originally published on this site.
