Nigeria’s Agricultural Exports: What Changed in Q2 2026?
Nigeria’s agricultural export landscape changed significantly between the first and second quarters of 2026.
In our post of last week, we highlighted how superior quality cocoa beans dominated Q1, generating ₦596.9 billion and accounting for more than half of Nigeria’s total agricultural export earnings.
Three months later, the picture looks very different.The top 10 agricultural exports generated ₦747.54 billion in Q2, down 34.8% from ₦1.15 trillion in Q1.
Some of the biggest movements in the current top 5:
1. 🥜 Cashew nuts: ₦119.76bn → ₦268.62bn
2. 🍫 Standard quality cocoa: ₦2.40bn → ₦154.31bn
3. 🌾 Sesame seeds: ₦153.78bn → ₦96.03bn
4. 🍫 Superior quality cocoa: ₦596.90bn → ₦58.82bn
5. 🫘 Soya beans: ₦129.27bn → ₦50.22bn
Cashew therefore became Nigeria’s largest individual agricultural export product in Q2, while superior quality cocoa fell from first to fourth place. Interestingly, standard quality cocoa moved in the opposite direction, increasing sharply to become the second-largest product.
Despite these changes, Nigeria’s agricultural exports remain highly concentrated. Cashew, standard quality cocoa and sesame alone generated ₦518.96 billion — around 69% of the value of the top 10 products.
For Nigeria’s trade and logistics sector, these changing export flows are important. Different commodities have different seasons, destinations, storage requirements and supply chains — all ultimately connecting Nigerian producers with international markets.
What will Nigeria’s agricultural export mix look like by the end of 2026? 🌍
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