Nigeria dangers dropping greater than $1 billion in annual export profits if exporters fail to agree to the Ecu Union Deforestation Legislation (EUDR), the Nigerian Export Promotion Council (NEPC) has warned.
Benedict Hegbe, Regional Coordinator of NEPC, gave the caution at a seminar at the EUDR and the Nationwide Unmarried Window (NSW), organised via the council on Tuesday in Lagos.
He stated the legislation calls for exporters to display that commodities shipped to the EU are deforestation-free, legally produced and supported via the specified due diligence documentation.
The affected commodities come with cocoa, rubber, wooden, oil palm, soya, espresso, livestock, and their derived merchandise.
Cocoa exports face biggest possibility
Hegbe known cocoa as Nigeria’s maximum uncovered export commodity underneath the legislation, 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 worry over gaps in farm mapping, declaring that most effective about part of Nigeria’s 350,000 smallholder cocoa plots have been geolocated.
- The legislation calls for related commodities to be traceable to the land the place they have been produced, making geolocation and documentation essential for exporters in the hunt for persisted get right of entry to to the Ecu marketplace.
- Hegbe stated rubber and wooden exports additionally confronted various ranges of possibility, urging exporters to make sure product classifications and make sure compliance ahead of cargo.
- He recommended farmers, cooperatives and exporters to beef up traceability and documentation programs and leverage the Nigeria Nationwide Traceability Machine to satisfy the necessities.
He additionally advised stakeholders to start out arrangements early to offer protection to Nigeria’s export profits, in particular forward of the fourth quarter of 2026.
Exporters advised to arrange for EUDR necessities
In step with Hegbe, massive operators have been anticipated to stand the legislation’s necessities from December 30, 2026, whilst small and medium-sized operators have been anticipated to conform from June 30, 2027.
- Additionally talking on the seminar, Assistant Comptroller Oyama Ekok-Oyama, Leader Examiner on the Lilypond Export Command of the Nigeria Customs Carrier, stated the EUDR was once offered to deal with world local weather trade issues.
- He defined that the EU legislation seeks to cut back greenhouse fuel emissions and save you the business of commodities connected to deforestation.
Ekok-Oyama added that compliance extends past woodland coverage to incorporate labour rights and right kind documentation, describing the Customs Carrier as a key gatekeeper in making sure adherence to export rules.
Nationwide Unmarried Window export module to move reside in November
Ekok-Oyama disclosed that the export module of the Nationwide Unmarried Window would cross reside in November, offering a one-stop platform for export documentation.
He stated massive operators can be required to combine into the device via December 30, 2026, whilst smaller corporations would have till June 2027 to conform.
The platform is predicted to streamline export documentation and make stronger exporters in assembly regulatory necessities.
Nigeria’s push for EUDR compliance
Nigeria has taken steps to beef up agricultural traceability and get ready its cocoa business for stricter Ecu Union necessities, even if 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 general non-oil exports, in line with the document.