Nigeria’s palm oil production has risen to 1.57 million tonnes in 2025, reflecting steady growth over the past five years and reigniting international interest in the country’s ambition to reclaim a leading position in the global palm oil market.
The figures were disclosed by the Council of Palm Oil Producing Countries (CPOPC) during a mission visit to Abuja, News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports.
The council used the visit to reaffirm its commitment to expand technical and policy cooperation with Nigeria across oil palm production, smallholder development, and supply chain alignment.
The development signals renewed collaboration between Nigeria and major palm oil-producing nations, even as the country continues to grapple with a domestic supply shortfall.
It also demonstrates growing efforts to strengthen Africa’s voice in global vegetable oil policy discussions.
CPOPC Secretary-General, Izzana Salleh, said the engagement forms part of the council’s broader objective to strengthen collaboration with African producers and support Nigeria’s long-term palm oil strategy.
She described oil palm as indigenous to West Africa and noted that Nigeria was once a global leader in the sector, stressing that the focus should now be on building future competitiveness.
- “Together, producing nations can shape a stronger, more coordinated global voice. One that protects farmer livelihoods, advances food security, and ensures balanced, development-oriented sustainability frameworks.”
- “Recent data shows encouraging momentum. Nigeria’s palm oil production has increased from 1.28 million tonnes in 2020 to 1.57 million tonnes in 2025.
- “At the same time, domestic consumption has risen from 2.45 to 2.61 million tonnes, creating a supply gap that continues to be met through imports,” she said.
She added that CPOPC is ready to support Nigeria in boosting domestic production, improving food security, and building a more competitive and sustainable palm oil value chain.
Also speaking, Dr Alphonsus Inyang, President of the National Palm Produce Association of Nigeria (NPPAN), said Nigeria stands to gain significantly from full CPOPC membership.
According to him, participation would provide access to improved technologies that could raise Nigeria’s Oil Extraction Ratio for both palm oil and palm kernel.
- He said full membership would open access to capacity-building programmes for smallholder farmers, who account for the bulk of national production.
- He added that Nigeria could benefit from hybrid planting materials and technical support to improve yields.
- He noted that stronger collaboration would enhance knowledge-sharing and productivity across the value chain.
He maintained that deeper engagement with CPOPC could accelerate Nigeria’s drive to narrow its supply gap and strengthen the sector’s competitiveness.
Nigeria remains one of Africa’s largest palm oil producers, but it has yet to achieve self-sufficiency in domestic supply.
Rising consumption continues to outpace production, leaving a gap of over 1 million tonnes that is covered through imports.
- Nigeria spends $600 million annually importing palm oil despite having the natural resources and historical expertise to produce it locally.
- Over 80% of Nigeria’s palm oil comes from smallholder farmers using outdated methods, leading to low yields and fragmented value chains.
- Oil palm is indigenous to West Africa, and Nigeria was historically a leading global producer before losing ground to Southeast Asian countries.
Smallholder farmers account for the majority of Nigeria’s palm oil output, making productivity improvements central to sector growth.
