Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Arcom Treasures, and a founding member of the National Coconut Producers Processors and Marketers Association of Nigeria (NACOPPMAN), Aolat Idowu-Agbelekale, has decried Nigeria’s continued dependence on coconut importation despite the nation’s vast potential to produce the crop locally.
According to Idowu-Agbelekale, Nigeria spends almost 32 billion dollars yearly on the importation of coconuts from countries such as Malaysia, Ghana, and other neighbouring African nations to meet increasing demand.
She described this as a sad reality, considering that at least 32 out of Nigeria’s 36 states possess the right climatic and soil conditions to grow coconuts effectively and sufficiently.
She explained that the association has launched an initiative tagged “COSIN” (Coconut Sufficiency in Nigeria by 2027), which aims to achieve self-sufficiency in coconut production through large-scale plantation projects.
“Our target is to plant coconuts on at least 10,000 hectares in every viable state and encourage every Nigerian family to plant at least three coconut trees,” she said. “This will help bridge the gap between supply and demand while boosting local production.”
Idowu-Agbelekale lamented the low level of awareness about the coconut value chain and the absence of coconut from the list of national cash crops supported by the Federal Government.
“More than 100 products can be derived from coconuts and almost all have export potential. Unfortunately, in Nigeria, we have less than 20 of these products being developed, and even those are underdeveloped,” she noted.
She added that coconut shells, which are often discarded as waste, can be converted into activated charcoal, a high-value export product in Europe.
On the role of women in the economy, Idowu-Agbelekale emphasized that female entrepreneurs deserve special attention.
“Women constitute 43 percent of entrepreneurs in Nigeria and contribute significantly to the nation’s GDP. We deserve equal opportunities in access to finance, government patronage, and favorable policies,” she stated.
She called for grants, zero-interest loans, equipment financing, and farmland allocations at reduced prices for women in agribusiness.
“We also need government support through farm inputs such as seedlings and fertilizers. More processing centres or clusters should be established to enable equipment sharing and reduce waste,” she added.
According to her, clustering would allow producers to turn waste into wealth.
“For instance, activated charcoal producers can use coconut shells discarded by coconut oil processors. If we work within clusters, this exchange becomes easier and more profitable for everyone,” she explained.
Highlighting the challenges faced by female entrepreneurs, Idowu-Agbelekale cited poor human resources, access to markets, and limited financing as major hurdles.
“Finding skilled and loyal staff is becoming increasingly difficult. Many people are more interested in quick money than building sustainable businesses,” she lamented.
She also pointed to poor infrastructure, epileptic electricity supply, bad roads, and high production costs as key factors that make locally produced coconut products more expensive than imported alternatives.
“Imported coconut oil and cookies are cheaper, not because they are better, but because we battle high production costs in Nigeria,” she said.
Idowu-Agbelekale urged the government to prioritize financial intervention in coconut farming and manufacturing, describing the sector as capital-intensive yet highly rewarding.
She also called for increased awareness and technology transfer to make coconut production more efficient and profitable.
“Coconut farming should be rebranded as a serious business capable of producing millionaires and billionaires. Young people need to be trained, retrained, and integrated into the coconut value chain as a sustainable source of livelihood,” she concluded.
