Nigeria earns $35m from hibiscus export in 9 months - NAQS

Nigerian Agricultural Quarantine Service (NAQS) has said the country generated $35 million within nine months in 2017 from hibiscus (zobo) export.


Dr Vincent Isegbe, Coordinating Director, NAQS, disclosed this at the ‘National Survey of 13 Agricultural Commodities by the Inter-ministerial Committee on Prevention and Control of Mycotoxins in Agricultural Commodities’ meeting held in Abuja recently.

He explained that the committee hopes to establish the prevalence type of mycotoxins and on which commodities as part of efforts to help policy makers decide on what to do next and also open the country’s economy to opportunities in research, development, public health disease prevention and the general wellbeing of the nation.

Isegbe said hibiscus, popularly called zobo, has high commercial value which the Jigawa State Government is currently benefitting from and is now the largest producer of the commodity, followed by other states like Kastina, Kano, Zamfara, Kebbi, Zamfara, Borno and Yobe.

He urged state governments in Edo and Kwara to also cultivate zobo plant due to the dry weather they have in order to boost revenue generation in their respective states. He advised hibiscus farmers in Jigawa and Kano states to form clusters as seen in other crops and value chains. This will further boost production and export volumes and grant access to government and donor interventions in capacity building and technical assistance.

“In the last one year there has been increase in exports of agricultural commodities. Hibiscus alone generated $35 million in nine months. In the last one year we have done what we call export improvement initiative for so many commodities.

“That means we are bringing those commodities that were lying low to ensure that they are properly positioned for export. They use it for organic colouring agents for drinks and wines, and as natural blended drink as we drink zobo here in Nigeria, the pharmaceuticals also use it for colouring because is organic.

“In 2016 it generated $20 million, while in 2017 it generated $35 million within nine months.”


Mycotoxins are poisonous substances secreted by fungi on food and feed which are associated with immunosupression, growth stunting, cancers, particularly liver and kidney cancers, infertility and death among animals and humans. On contamination, they constitute a serious food safety problem and have consequences on agriculture, public health, national and international trade. 

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