Togo Suspends Shea Nut Exports to Boost Local Processing

Agriculture
Tuesday, 01 April 2025 13:33
Togo Suspends Shea Nut Exports to Boost Local Processing

(Togo First) - Togo has temporarily ceased exporting shea nut and shea kernel. The ministries of Trade, Economy, and Agriculture made the call, in a bid to tackle the shortage of input needed by local processors. 

While the country has 10 processing units, its annual output–40,000 tonnes–is insufficient to meet the facilities’ demand. For example, major players like NIOTO and Label d'Or can respectively process 35,000 and 10,000 tonnes of shea kernels yearly.

On average, Togo exports 25,000 tonnes of shea per year. This is about 5% of West African exports. President Gnassingbé’s country is the world’s seventh-largest shea producer. A laudable performance, but the local processing industry lacks the input to expand. 

Lomé stopped exports as part of its industrialization strategy. The document aims to boost local production and processing capacity to capture more value and reduce dependence on external markets.

This article was initially published in French by Esaïe Edoh

Edited in English by Ola Schad Akinocho

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