Nigeria’s agricultural exports from the 10 leading categories were valued at N747.54 billion in the second quarter of 2026, with cashew nuts in shell, standard-quality cocoa beans and sesamum seeds accounting for the largest shares of export earnings, according to National Bureau of Statistics data.

The combined value of the 10 categories fell 34.8 per cent from N1.15 trillion in the first quarter of 2026 and was 39 per cent lower than the N1.23 trillion recorded in the second quarter of 2025.

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Cashew nuts in shell retained the top position, although several major commodities recorded significant movements during the quarter.

The 10 biggest agricultural exports were:

1. Cashew nuts in shell, N268.62 billion

Cashew nuts in shell emerged as Nigeria’s biggest agricultural export in Q2 2026, generating N268.62 billion.

The commodity also topped the ranking in Q2 2025, when exports were worth N352.67 billion. The latest figure therefore represented a 23.8 per cent decline year on year.

Despite the decline, cashew remained comfortably ahead of every other agricultural export category during the quarter.

2. Standard-quality cocoa beans, N154.31 billion

Standard-quality cocoa beans ranked second after generating N154.31 billion.

The category recorded an extraordinary quarterly increase, rising from just N2.40 billion in Q1 2026. That represented an increase of more than 6,320 per cent.

The Q2 figure, however, remained below the N208.47 billion recorded in Q2 2025.

3. Sesamum seeds, N96.03 billion

Sesamum seeds ranked third with exports valued at N96.03 billion.

The figure was 37.6 per cent lower than the N153.78 billion recorded in Q1 2026.

Despite the quarterly decline, sesame performed better than a year earlier, with exports rising about 23.1 per cent from the approximately N78 billion recorded in Q2 2025.

4. Superior-quality cocoa beans, N58.82 billion

Superior-quality cocoa beans generated N58.82 billion to rank fourth.

The category experienced one of the sharpest declines in the ranking. Its export value fell from N596.90 billion in Q1 2026 to N58.82 billion in Q2, representing a decline of about 90.1 per cent.

The figure was also substantially below the N277.02 billion recorded in Q2 2025.

The steep decline pushed superior-quality cocoa beans from first place in Q1 to fourth place in Q2.

5. Soya beans excluding seeds, N50.22 billion

Soya beans excluding seeds ranked fifth with exports worth N50.22 billion.

The figure represented a 61.2 per cent decline from the N129.27 billion recorded in Q1 2026.

The product was not among Nigeria’s top 10 agricultural export categories in Q2 2025.

6. Soya bean flours and meals, N36.41 billion

Soya bean flours and meals generated N36.41 billion during the quarter.

Although exports fell from N53.20 billion in Q1, the category performed considerably better than in Q2 2025, when exports were valued at N20.64 billion.

The latest figure represented year-on-year growth of about 76.4 per cent.

7. Other cut flowers and flower buds, N31.43 billion

Other cut flowers and flower buds ranked seventh at N31.43 billion.

Exports increased sharply from N12.23 billion in Q1 2026.

However, the Q2 figure was slightly below the N33.41 billion recorded in Q2 2025.

8. Natural cocoa butter, N27.60 billion

Natural cocoa butter generated N27.60 billion in Q2.

The figure declined from N41.69 billion in Q1 and was considerably below the N105.07 billion recorded in Q2 2025.

The performance contributed to the overall decline in Nigeria’s cocoa export earnings during the quarter.

9. Crude shea oil, N12.66 billion

Crude shea oil ranked ninth with exports valued at N12.66 billion.

The figure increased from N9.14 billion in Q1 2026, showing modest quarterly growth despite the broader decline across the leading agricultural export categories.

10. Soya bean seed, N11.44 billion

Soya bean seed completed the top 10 with exports worth N11.44 billion.

The figure was more than twice the N5.20 billion recorded in Q1 2026, making soybean seed one of the categories to record notable quarterly growth.

Cocoa remained a major component of Nigeria’s agricultural export earnings, despite the substantial changes between its different categories.

Standard-quality cocoa beans, superior-quality cocoa beans and natural cocoa butter generated a combined N240.73 billion in Q2 2026.

That was significantly lower than the N590.56 billion generated by the same three categories in Q2 2025.

The contrasting performance of standard and superior-quality cocoa was particularly notable.

Standard-quality cocoa exports surged from N2.40 billion in Q1 to N154.31 billion in Q2, while superior-quality cocoa fell from N596.90 billion to N58.82 billion.

Soybean products also made a substantial contribution. The three soybean categories in the top 10 generated N98.07 billion combined.

Cashew and soybean products together generated N366.69 billion, accounting for almost half of the combined value of the 10 leading agricultural export categories.

The figures also show a high level of concentration within Nigeria’s agricultural export basket.

Cashew nuts in shell, standard-quality cocoa beans and sesamum seeds generated N518.96 billion combined, representing about 69.4 per cent of the N747.54 billion generated by the top 10 categories.

That concentration presents both opportunities and risks.

Strong international demand for Nigerian commodities could support farmers, exporters and foreign exchange earnings.

However, changes in international prices, production levels, quality requirements, logistics and market access could quickly affect export performance.

The Q2 figures therefore provide a mixed picture of Nigeria’s agricultural export sector.

Cashew maintained its leading position, sesame recorded year-on-year growth and several soybean-related categories performed strongly compared with a year earlier.

At the same time, the sharp decline in superior-quality cocoa and the broader fall in export values highlight the volatility facing Nigerian agricultural exporters.

For policymakers and industry players, the figures reinforce the need to diversify agricultural exports, improve processing capacity and expand access to international markets.

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Nigeria has a substantial agricultural production base, but converting that strength into stable and higher-value export earnings will require greater investment across production, processing, quality control and logistics.