The Nigeria Export Promotion Council (NEPC) has distributed 23,239 hybrid seedlings and farm inputs to 3,047 farmers nationwide, in a fresh push to strengthen the country’s non-oil export sector.

The initiative, which falls under the council’s Corporate Social Investment programme, provided farmers with cocoa, sesame, and oil palm seedlings to improve the quality and quantity of Nigeria’s export commodities.

Presenting the First-Half 2025 Non-Oil Exports Performance Report, the Executive Director/CEO of NEPC, Nonye Ayeni, noted that the intervention has boosted farmers’ production capacity to meet global market demands.

She further revealed that more than 150 small and medium enterprises (SMEs) have benefited from the council’s Export Mentorship Programme, which paired 60 new exporters from different states with five top-performing exporters for hands-on training. 

According to Ayeni, the mentorship has strengthened participants’ knowledge of export documentation and procedures, increasing their confidence in the international trade process.

As part of its capacity-building efforts, the council also organised sensitisation workshops in Lagos and Kano, where over 100 SMEs were briefed on global market requirements and opportunities along the species value chain.

While acknowledging persistent challenges in the sector, the NEPC reaffirmed its commitment to diversifying the economy, creating jobs, and reducing poverty per the Federal Government’s agenda. 

The council pledged to continue driving non-oil export growth by increasing trade volume and value, thereby promoting sustainable and inclusive economic development.

Source: This DaY

Image Credit: QED. NG