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The forecast for a 10% decline in output in the four main producing countries – a consensus view from five producers and six exporters – reverses an earlier forecast for a 5% increase made in May and June. Ivory Coast and Ghana, the world’s two top cocoa producers, along with Nigeria and Cameroon, account for more than two-thirds of global cocoa output.

The global cocoa market in 2025 is a study in contradictions: prices hover near $9,500 per ton after peaking at $12,900 in December 2024, yet demand remains stubbornly strong despite the economic headwinds. This paradox underscores a structural transformation in the cocoa supply chain, driven by climate shocks, trade policy turbulence, and a reordering of global demand. For investors, the challenge lies in distinguishing between transient volatility and enduring shifts—while avoiding the pitfalls of overexposure to a market still grappling with its own fragility.

AGRA has been working on seed systems for 20 years developing robust seed business and enabling better policies that support advanced seed systems. AGRA’s impact on Africa’s seed systems is enormous through a significant contribution to the release of 688 crop varieties released and the strengthening of 114 African seed companies. Together with the empowerment of 38,000 Agro dealers, this is supporting 33 million farmers to access high yielding seed.

As part of efforts to deepen agricultural cooperation and strengthen food security across Africa, Nigeria has donated 2,000 cashew seedlings and 100,000 cashew seeds to Ethiopia. The donation, sufficient to cultivate approximately 600 hectares of farmland, was formally received by Ethiopia’s Minister of State for Agriculture, Dr Efa Muleta Boru, ahead of the second United Nations (UN) Food Systems Summit to be held in Addis Ababa from July 27 to 29, 2025.Spearheaded under President Bola Tinubu’s agricultural transformation agenda, the green diplomacy initiative reinforces Nigeria’s commitment to leveraging agro-development as a strategic instrument for regional diplomacy and sustainable development.

Nigeria is making a strong push to expand its presence in the global cashew market, as exports of the nut reached an impressive $398 million. This growth is particularly significant as cashews are now one of the top agricultural exports for Nigeria, alongside products like cocoa and sesame seeds. The country is positioning itself as a key player in the global cashew trade, with efforts aimed at improving both the quality of its cashew nuts and the value chain from farming to export.

Africa's Consumption of Wheat After three years of decline, consumption of wheat increased by 8.6% to 70M tons in 2024. The total consumption volume increased at an average annual rate of +2.1% over the period from 2013 to 2024; the trend pattern remained consistent, with only minor fluctuations throughout the analyzed period. The volume of consumption peaked at 72M tons in 2018; however, from 2019 to 2024, consumption failed to regain momentum. The size of the wheat market in Africa rose markedly to $27B in 2024, surging by 14% against the previous year. This figure reflects the total revenues of producers and importers (excluding logistics costs, retail marketing costs, and retailers' margins, which will be included in the final consumer price). Overall, consumption, however, continues to indicate a pronounced contraction.

While this recovery in yield is welcome news, the industry’s economic outlook remains under serious threat due to delays in adjusting South Africa’s import tariff, the flood of cheap imports into the country and the looming 30% tariff from the United States on South African sugar exports. The delay in adjusting our own sugar import tariff to reflect current global realities is undermining the competitiveness of local producers.

The National Sugar Development Council is urging the All Farmers Association of Nigeria and investors to seize opportunities in Nigeria’s sugar sector, with Executive Secretary Kamar Bakrin highlighting a market valued at over $2 billion.‎Addressing the farmers who paid him a courtesy call in his office, Bakrin called on stakeholders to join the national effort to reduce the country’s overdependence on imported raw sugar and its by-products.

Driven by increasing demand for maize (corn) starch in Africa, the market is expected to continue an upward consumption trend over the next decade. Market performance is forecast to decelerate, expanding with an anticipated CAGR of +1.4% for the period from 2024 to 2035, which is projected to bring the market volume to 4.2M tons by the end of 2035. In value terms, the market is forecast to increase with an anticipated CAGR of +1.7% for the period from 2024 to 2035, which is projected to bring the market value to $3B (in nominal wholesale prices) by the end of 2035.

Driven by increasing demand for coffee substitutes containing coffee in Africa, the market is expected to continue an upward consumption trend over the next decade. Market performance is forecast to decelerate, expanding with an anticipated CAGR of +1.5% for the period from 2024 to 2035, which is projected to bring the market volume to 239K tons by the end of 2035.

“Rice is very popular because it is easy to cook,” he said. “It used to seem like a luxury food to many consumers, compared with maize and millet. If you go to Sierra Leone, they used to consume a lot of roots and tubers etc, but people now associate those foods with poverty so they prefer rice.”Sali Atanja Ndindeng heads the rice sector development programme, which develops new varieties in conjunction with market trends and analyses samples received from partner institutions in member countries to help identify good grain quality.

KENYA – In a bold move to reduce Kenya’s staggering KSh 160 billion (US$1.25B) annual edible oil import bill, the Agriculture and Food Authority (AFA) has intensified efforts to promote the cultivation of oil-rich crops across the country.