The Nigerian Export Promotion Council, NEPC, has warned that Nigeria risks losing more than one billion dollars in annual export earnings if exporters fail to comply with the European Union Deforestation Regulation, EUDR.
The Regional Coordinator of NEPC, Benedict Hegbe, gave the warning at a seminar on the EUDR and the National Single Window, organised by the council in Lagos.
Hegbe explained that the regulation requires exporters to prove that commodities shipped to the European Union are deforestation-free, legally produced and backed by the necessary due diligence documents.
Affected commodities include cocoa, rubber, wood, oil palm, soya, coffee, cattle and their derived products.
He described cocoa as Nigeria’s most exposed export commodity under the regulation, noting that cocoa exports to the EU were valued at 1.49 billion euros in 2024, accounting for 89 per cent of Nigeria’s cocoa exports.
Hegbe expressed concern over gaps in farm mapping, disclosing that only about half of Nigeria’s 350,000 smallholder cocoa plots had been geolocated.
He noted that the regulation requires relevant commodities to be traceable to the specific land where they were produced, making accurate geolocation and proper documentation essential for continued access to the European market.
The NEPC coordinator added that rubber and wood exports also faced varying levels of risk, urging exporters to verify product classifications and ensure compliance before shipment.
He advised farmers, cooperatives and exporters to strengthen their traceability and documentation systems and leverage the Nigeria
