NEPC warns weak traceability could put over $1bn in annual exports at risk
The council cited €1.49bn in 2024 EU cocoa exports and geolocation gaps among smallholder plots.
- Publish date: 2026-10-13
- Category: Standards & Policy
- Original source: Nairametrics
- Reading time: 1 min read
NEPC Regional Coordinator Benedict Hegbe warned that Nigeria could risk more than $1bn in annual export earnings if exporters do not comply with the EU Deforestation Regulation. He listed cocoa, rubber, wood, oil palm, soya, coffee and cattle products among the affected commodities. Hegbe said cocoa exports to the EU were valued at €1.49bn in 2024, or 89% of Nigeria’s cocoa exports by value, and that only about half of 350,000 smallholder cocoa plots had been geolocated. The $1bn figure is a warned risk, not a reported loss.