Nigeria is strengthening its bid to reclaim a leading position in the global groundnut market, with local production projected to reach 4.3 million metric tons in the 2025 farming season. The figure is slightly above the five-year average of 4.269 million tons, signaling steady growth in the country’s oilseed sector.
According to recent data, Bauchi State leads the pack among producing states, contributing about 12 percent of the national output. Other top producers include Kano, Katsina, and Jigawa, underscoring northern Nigeria’s dominance in groundnut cultivation.
Nigeria currently ranks as Africa’s largest groundnut producer, ahead of Sudan, Senegal, Cameroon, Mali, and Burkina Faso. However, industry experts say the country is eyeing more than continental leadership. Policymakers and agribusiness players are working toward positioning Nigeria as a key global exporter, targeting lucrative markets in Europe and Asia.
The move marks an effort to revive the nation’s historic role in the 1960s, when groundnut exports were a major foreign exchange earner, symbolized by the iconic groundnut pyramids of Kano. Today, renewed investments in improved seeds, mechanization, and processing facilities are expected to boost both raw and value-added exports.
Analysts note that sustaining output growth, strengthening quality standards, and addressing logistics challenges will be critical if Nigeria is to regain its place on the world stage.
