The Nigerian Export Promotion Council (NEPC) has intensified efforts to boost Kwara State's contribution to Nigeria's non-oil export earnings with a renewed drive to develop export clusters around cashew, sesame seeds and soya beans.

The initiative took centre stage at a stakeholders' consultative meeting on Export Cluster Development held in Ilorin, where government officials, farmers, exporters and private sector operators identified key strategies to unlock the state's export potential.

Speaking at the meeting, the State Coordinator of the NEPC Kwara State Coordinating Office, Mr Olu Ikulajolu, explained that soya beans and cashew are the major commodities of focus for Kwara State under the One State One Product (OSOP) programme. He, however, said the inclusion of sesame seeds followed recent research findings and consultations, which revealed increasing sesame production and growing export-related investments in the state.

Ikulajolu disclosed that Nigeria recorded about $6.1 billion in non-oil exports in 2025, while Kwara State accounted for only about $58 million, a figure he described as far below the state's potential. He attributed the low performance partly to the absence of aggregation centres and structured channels for capturing export data.

He said the initiative aims to address these challenges by establishing functional export clusters that will stimulate large-scale production and improve Kwara's competitiveness in the global export market.

Also speaking, the Permanent Secretary of the Kwara State Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, Mrs Foluke Shokoya, represented by the Director of Extension Services, Mallam Idris Mohammed, acknowledged the enormous potential of sesame seeds, cashew and soya beans in the state.

She noted that although Kwara is performing well in sesame production, most buyers operating in the state are from outside Kwara, highlighting the need to strengthen indigenous participation in the value chain.

The Permanent Secretary commended the NEPC for the initiative and recommended the establishment of produce collection centres close to major towns, the provision of motorcycles for produce aggregation and stronger collaboration with traditional rulers to secure community support for investors and exporters. She also reaffirmed the ministry's commitment to supporting the programme, noting that the state has about 120 extension workers to train and monitor farmers across Kwara.

The Head of the Department of Agriculture at the Agricultural and Rural Management Training Institute (ARMTI), Dr Popoola O. Peter, also commended the NEPC for bringing stakeholders together.

He stressed the need for stronger support for farmers, improved access to farmland and a more enabling environment for agricultural production, noting that sustainable development of export crops would require deliberate investment in farming communities.

Dr Popoola added that improved mechanisation remains critical to attracting young people into agriculture and protecting investments in export-oriented farming.

The Vice President (Agriculture) of the Kwara Chamber of Commerce, Industry, Mines and Agriculture (KWACCIMA), Alhaji Ibrahim Adebayo, urged the Kwara State Government and relevant agencies to provide the necessary support to enable farmers expand cultivation of the three selected commodities.

According to him, available agricultural data already indicate that cashew, sesame and soya beans are among the crops with the greatest comparative advantage in Kwara State.

He called on stakeholders to work together to increase production and strengthen competitiveness in the international market.

The Chairman of the All Farmers Association of Nigeria (AFAN) in Kwara State, Engr. Shuaib Ajibola, pledged farmers' support for the initiative, while the Chairman of the Nigerian Association of Soya Beans Farmers in Kwara State, Mr Yinka Olawoyin, assured the council of his association's readiness to collaborate with the NEPC to strengthen soya production and exports.

He also called for regular training for farmers and exporters, proper registration of commodity associations, improved access to certified seeds and the establishment of reliable off-taker arrangements to protect farmers from exploitation by middlemen.

Stakeholders at the meeting unanimously pledged their support for the Export Cluster Development initiative, noting that structured export clusters for cashew, sesame and soya beans would increase production, attract investment, create jobs and significantly improve Kwara State's contribution to Nigeria's non-oil export earnings.

They also called for a broader stakeholders' consultation and urged the Kwara State Government to support the initiative because of its enormous economic benefits to the state.