Nigeria cranks out eight million metric tons of bananas yearly but barely scratches the global export game while countries like Cameroon bank millions selling fruit overseas. Dr. Olufemi Oladunni from the Agricultural and Rural Management Training Institute said plant diseases like Panama TR4 and Black Sigatoka wrecked traditional suppliers in Latin America, and the opening could net Nigeria a chunk of the 140 billion dollar banana market if quality control and logistics got fixed.
The country shipped only 45,000 bucks worth of bananas to the UK last year, compared to Cameroon pulling nearly 10 million euros from that market alone. Ambassador Adeniyi Sola Bunmi from Gogreen Africa Initiative said Nigeria already dominates production but post-harvest losses from terrible cold chain systems and weak pest surveillance keep killing export potential.
Stakeholders want better disease-resistant plants and proper infrastructure for European markets, since right now, only Ivory Coast, Ghana, and Cameroon can reliably ship African bananas abroad, while Nigeria sits on a massive supply without the consistent quality standards global buyers demand.
The country shipped only 45,000 bucks worth of bananas to the UK last year, compared to Cameroon pulling nearly 10 million euros from that market alone. Ambassador Adeniyi Sola Bunmi from Gogreen Africa Initiative said Nigeria already dominates production but post-harvest losses from terrible cold chain systems and weak pest surveillance keep killing export potential.
Stakeholders want better disease-resistant plants and proper infrastructure for European markets, since right now, only Ivory Coast, Ghana, and Cameroon can reliably ship African bananas abroad, while Nigeria sits on a massive supply without the consistent quality standards global buyers demand.
