Nigeria’s ambition to turn its substantial banana production into a major export industry is being undermined by inadequate storage, weak cold-chain logistics, limited value addition and gaps in quality control, stakeholders have said. Although Nigeria ranks among the world’s largest banana-producing countries, its formal export performance remains extremely small compared with its production volume, highlighting the gap between agricultural output and participation in the international market.
FAOSTAT-based data put Nigeria’s banana production at 6.91 million metric tons in 2024, making it the world’s sixth-largest producer, after India, China, Indonesia, Ecuador and Brazil. The ranking, however, should be interpreted cautiously because international production statistics may differ in their treatment of bananas, plantains, bunch weights and country reporting methods.
A CRISIL Intelligence projection cited by India’s Agricultural and Processed Food Products Export Development Authority (APEDA) reportedly places Nigeria’s 2025 banana production at approximately 7.4 million tons. That figure is a projection, rather than a confirmed official production estimate.
Despite its production base, Nigeria’s export figures remain modest. World Bank WITS data, drawn from UN Comtrade, show that Nigeria exported 43,802 kilogrammes of bananas, including plantains, fresh or dried, in 2024, valued at $49,330. The exports went mainly to Canada, India and Gabon. The contrast is particularly striking when compared with Cameroon, which has developed a more established commercial banana-export industry. Data from the Association of Banana Producers of Cameroon (ASSOBACAM) showed that the country exported 210,686 tons of bananas in 2024, up 1.8 per cent from 206,852 tons in 2023.
The Chief Executive, Agricultural and Rural Management Training Institute (ARMTI), Dr Olufemi Oladunni, identified low domestic consumption and inadequate storage infrastructure as factors limiting Nigeria’s ability to develop its banana value chain.
Oladunni, who spoke on the challenges facing banana production and marketing, said Nigeria possessed the climatic and production conditions required to cultivate the crop for export but had yet to fully exploit the opportunity.
He said the country’s performance was particularly concerning given the progress recorded by Cameroon in banana production and exports.
‘From the production point of view, I believe Nigeria can produce banana for export. But one factor that may be hindering it is its very low place in our diet,’ he said.
Oladunni explained that smallholder farmers, who account for a significant share of agricultural production, often prioritise crops that meet household consumption needs before considering market-oriented production. ‘Smallholder farmers want to first plant what they can consume at the homestead level before they even think of sending it to the market. If we are not consuming banana sufficiently, that could be one of the factors hindering its production,’ he said. He, however, stressed that further research was required to establish the precise factors limiting banana production, consumption and export development in Nigeria. Oladunni identified inadequate storage as a major constraint, warning that the fruit’s perishability made it particularly vulnerable to post-harvest deterioration. ‘Storage is highly impairing the production of banana. When you produce it, if you do not move it immediately at maturity, it starts deteriorating within just a few days,’ he said. He added that consumers generally preferred fresh banana, making efficient storage, transportation and distribution systems essential to sustaining the market.
The ARMTI chief executive called for stronger investment in agricultural storage infrastructure, research and market development to improve the competitiveness of Nigerian produce.
He said addressing the storage deficit would reduce post-harvest losses and encourage farmers to expand production of perishable commodities, including bananas, for domestic and international markets.
The Executive Director, Gogreen Africa Initiative, Ambassador Adeniyi Sola Bunmi, said Nigeria’s large banana and plantain production base provided an opportunity to develop a stronger processing and export industry.
Bunmi said Nigeria already produced millions of tonnes of bananas and plantains annually, with FAO statistics generally placing the combined output in the range of several million tonnes. He noted that much of the production was consumed domestically, leaving opportunities for value addition and market expansion.
‘Nigeria is one of the world’s top banana/plantain producers (multi-million tons), so scaling value-addition (chips, flour, puree, dried fruit) targets an existing, large supply,’ he said.
‘There is a strong demand for domestic eating and snack markets plus diaspora demand for processed plantain/banana products. Small but growing export potential if quality and cold-chain improve,’ he added.
He identified pests and diseases, poor surveillance and extension services, post-harvest losses caused by weak cold-chain and logistics systems, and the low level of value addition as major challenges confronting the sector.