Tuesday, January 27, 2026 - Nigeria is set to become Africa’s second commercial cloves producer as 74,000 farmers prepare to join the maiden nationwide cloves farming initiative ahead of the 2026 wet season.
Malam Abdullahi Shuaibu, National Coordinator of the Cloves
Producers Association, made the disclosure at the North-West Farmers Training
Workshop at Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, on Saturday, according to the News
Agency of Nigeria
The program is intended to boost domestic and
international cloves production, generate foreign exchange, and
create employment opportunities across the country.
According to Shuaibu, the maiden cloves farming initiative
will involve at least 2,000 farmers from each of Nigeria’s 36 states and the
Federal Capital Territory (FCT), totaling over 74,000 participants nationwide.
Each farmer will receive improved cloves seeds and
essential inputs to cultivate half a hectare of cloves.
Cloves, a tropical plant that can grow in many parts of
Nigeria, are expected to meet both domestic and international demand,
particularly from food and pharmaceutical companies.
“The initiative is planned to make Nigeria the
second African country, after Zanzibar in Tanzania, to produce cloves
commercially.
“The initiative is designed to tap into the
huge domestic and international demand for cloves, particularly from food and
pharmaceutical companies.
“Nigeria will become the second African
country after Zanzibar, Tanzania, to produce cloves commercially,” Shuaibu
said.
The NAN report noted that association officials said the
program could significantly boost foreign exchange earnings while creating jobs
for youth and women. Kaduna State, a leading ginger producer, has pledged
full support for the initiative.
Financial advisers to the association highlighted
that cloves production is more profitable than grains and other
vegetable crops.
They added that the program also provides a buffer against
sudden losses from farm produce price fluctuations.
Supporting the initiative, Prof. Mukhtar Abdullah of IAR,
ABU, unveiled a comprehensive training manual. The guide, the report noted,
provides step-by-step instructions on cultivation practices, market analysis,
and international best practices.
It is intended to assist farmers, youth, and women
in rural communities participating in the cloves farming program.
The cloves initiative comes as Nigeria’s agricultural sector
continues to recover and grow, contributing to overall economic performance.
Gross Domestic Product (GDP) grew by 3.98% (year-on-year) in
real terms in Q3 2025, higher than the 3.86% recorded in the same quarter of
2024.
During the period, agriculture grew by 3.79%, up from
2.55% in Q3 2024, according to National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) data.
The agricultural sector grew by 3.18% in nominal terms in Q3
2025, though this was 14.87 percentage points lower than Q3 2024.
Compared to the previous quarter, growth improved by 1.34
percentage points. Crop production remained dominant, accounting for 65.99% of
the sector’s total nominal value.
Farmers in the North-Central and North-West regions warn
that rising costs, insecurity, and post-harvest losses are making agriculture
unprofitable.
The United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO)
projects that about 34.7 million Nigerians could face severe food insecurity
during the next lean season (June–August 2026) if interventions are not
implemented.
The worsening situation is linked to conflicts in
food-producing regions, economic shocks, and organized crime, particularly
affecting Benue, Nasarawa, Niger, and Plateau states.
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