Nigeria risks losing $1 billion in annual export earnings over EU rules – NEPC
Nigeria risks losing more than $1 billion in annual export earnings if exporters fail to comply with the European Union Deforestation Regulation (EUDR), the Nigerian Export Promotion Council (NEPC) has warned. The post…
The European Union Deforestation Regulation (EUDR) requires companies placing certain commodities — including cocoa, rubber, coffee, palm oil, timber and soy — on the EU market to prove their supply chains are not linked to land deforested after a cutoff date. The rule, aimed at curbing imported deforestation, places the compliance burden on exporting countries to provide traceability data, geolocation records and due-diligence documentation, which can be costly and technically demanding for smallholder-dominated supply chains like Nigeria's cocoa and rubber sectors.
The Nigerian Export Promotion Council's warning highlights how non-tariff regulatory barriers in major markets like the EU could undercut Nigeria's push to diversify export earnings away from oil. Both Nairametrics and Tribune Online report the same $1 billion exposure figure and attribute it to NEPC, framing it as a call to action for exporters and policymakers. Neither report yet details the specific steps NEPC or government agencies plan to take to help exporters meet the EUDR's traceability requirements, or the timeline before enforcement affects Nigerian shipments.