Nigeria cocoa at a glance
The headline numbers, and how much each can be trusted
Dataset total production
328,263 t
Peer-reviewed national production table, 2024–2026 data window
Study estimate· FrontiersICCO national estimate
~315,000 t
Recent international estimate
Measured· ReutersPossible annual smuggling
up to 200,000 t
CRIN research director estimate
Field evidence· ReutersCBN 2030 target
1,000,000 t
National cocoa strategy ambition
Measured· Central Bank of NigeriaTop 5 states
83% of dataset
Ondo, Osun, Cross River, Oyo, Ogun
Study estimate· FrontiersTypical yield
0.3–0.5 t/ha
vs 1.5–2.0 t/ha achievable with improved varieties
Study estimate· D-NBStates with identified production
18
Across South-West, South-South, South-East and highland pockets
Study estimate· FrontiersSeedling requests to CRIN
500,000+
Enough in theory for ~400,000 ha
Field evidence· ReutersThe national cocoa map
Production share by state
Hover a state
Shading follows the published production share; click any producing state for its LGA and community detail.
Production share (%)
- 20% and above
- 10% – 19%
- Tier 2 belt (measured LGA data)
- Tier 3 secondary pocket
- Tier 4 emerging / marginal
- No identified production
Percentage share by state
- Ondo — 24%
- Osun — 22%
- Cross River — 18%
- Oyo — 10%
- Ogun — 9%
- Others — 17%
Indicative output
Top five states by tonnage
Commercial ranking
Where to deploy capital first
Ranked for buying, aggregating, farming or building a supply chain — not simply by tonnage.
Tier 1Core
Tier 2Major expansion
Tier 3Secondary belts
Lagos is excluded from the tiers: it is a market, logistics, processing and export location, not a production territory.
Five commercial cocoa zones
The operational geography
Zone 1 — Ondo Cocoa Belt
Probably Nigeria's strongest commercial cocoa territory: scale, established infrastructure, export corridor access.
Very high priorityZone 2 — Osun Cocoa Belt
Dense traditional cocoa belt on the Ife → Ilesa → Atakumosa axis.
Very high priorityZone 3 — Cross River Cocoa Belt
Huge rainforest environment, established cocoa culture, community land systems and rapid new-entrant interest.
High priorityZone 4 — Ekiti / Oyo / Ogun Belt
Substantial concentration revealed by LGA-level statistics, particularly Gbonyin and Ise/Orun in Ekiti.
Medium priorityZone 5 — Edo / Delta / South-East Pockets
Smaller than Zones 1–3 but potentially important for aggregation volume.
