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Securing Nigeria’s place in the global cocoa market

Pabio November 7, 2024

By Omotosho Caroline, Managing Director of Johnvents Industries Limited

With the revised deadline of December 2025 to comply with the European Union’s Deforestation-Free Regulation (EUDR), Nigeria finds itself at a critical crossroads.

These regulations, designed to curb deforestation and protect biodiversity, present both challenges and opportunities for the Nigerian cocoa industry.

While the extension provides more time, it also heightens the urgency for Nigeria to take decisive action to meet these standards, ensure market access and secure a sustainable future for the millions of smallholder farmers who depend on agriculture for their livelihoods. their livelihood.

The recent establishment of the National Task Force (NTF) on EUDR Compliance, led by the Minister of Agriculture and Food Security, Senator Abubakar Kyari, is a promising first step. The NTF has an ambitious mandate: to coordinate stakeholders, develop a traceability system and work with the EU to adjust the compliance timeline. But to make meaningful progress, Nigeria will need to go beyond creating a task force.

This effort will require a collaborative approach involving government, the private sector and civil society to fully meet the stringent requirements of the EUDR.

A significant portion of Nigeria’s cocoa industry relies on smallholder farmers who often lack the resources, technology and knowledge to adopt sustainable agricultural practices. The transition to regenerative agriculture, which can improve yields, protect forests and increase resilience to climate change, requires training, financial support and access to resources. If we do not act quickly to empower these farmers, they risk being left behind, potentially losing access to the EU market and putting their livelihoods at risk.

As the Managing Director of Johnvents Industries Limited, owner of one of Nigeria’s largest cocoa processing plants, with an annual capacity of 18,000 metric tonnes, I personally see the importance of proactive compliance on a daily basis.

At Johnvents, we take proactive measures, such as carrying out in-depth risk assessments, carrying out 100% polygon mapping for farms in our network and instituting rigorous policies against human rights violations. man and child labor. These measures not only prepare us for EUDR compliance, but also help create an ethical and transparent supply chain that benefits both producers and consumers.

However, individual efforts like ours must be part of a broader national strategy. We cannot address the systemic drivers of deforestation (poverty, outdated agricultural practices and limited resources) without comprehensive support from government and other stakeholders.

For the entire Nigerian agricultural sector to comply with EUDR, we need a standardized sector-wide framework for deforestation-free certification. This includes reviewing and re-mapping protected areas, implementing in-depth risk assessments and creating clear and accessible guidelines for farmers and businesses to follow.

Furthermore, this framework must also address the unique challenges of Nigeria’s agricultural landscape. For example, Nigeria’s forest cover is scattered across various regions with different regulations and levels of enforcement. Creating an effective traceability system that accommodates these regional differences will be crucial for effective monitoring and compliance.

With the revised EUDR deadline set for December 2025, Nigeria has an extended, but limited, window to act decisively. This additional time must be seized as an opportunity to build robust and sustainable systems that protect our forests, improve traceability and help smallholder farmers adapt to new practices. The road ahead is demanding, but with commitment and collaboration, the rewards – for our people, our ecosystems and our place in the global marketplace – are within our reach.

Now is the time to act.