Nigeria is poised to become Africa’s second-largest commercial producer of cloves, with 74,000 farmers gearing up to participate in the country’s first-ever nationwide cloves farming initiative ahead of the 2026 wet season.

The National Coordinator of the Cloves Producers Association,
Malam Abdullahi Shuaibu, made this disclosure during the North-West Farmers Training Workshop held at Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, on Saturday, according to the News Agency of Nigeria.

The initiative aims to increase both domestic and export cloves production, boost foreign exchange earnings, and create jobs nationwide.

According to Shuaibu, the inaugural cloves farming initiative will engage at least 2,000 farmers from each of Nigeria’s 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory, bringing the total number of participants nationwide to over 74,000.

Each farmer will be provided with improved cloves seeds and essential farming inputs to cultivate half a hectare of cloves.

Cloves, a tropical crop adaptable to many regions of Nigeria, are expected to satisfy both domestic and international demand, especially from the food and pharmaceutical industries.

“The initiative is planned to make Nigeria the second African country, after Zanzibar in Tanzania, to produce cloves commercially.

“The initiative is designed to tap into the huge domestic and international demand for cloves, particularly from food and pharmaceutical companies.

“Nigeria will become the second African country after Zanzibar, Tanzania, to produce cloves commercially,” Shuaibu said.

The report stated that association officials expect the program to significantly boost foreign exchange earnings and create jobs for both youth and women.

Kaduna State, a leading producer of ginger, has pledged its full support for the initiative.

Financial advisers to the association pointed out that cloves farming is more profitable than cultivating grains or other vegetables and noted that the program provides farmers with protection against sudden losses from price fluctuations in agricultural produce.

The cloves initiative arrives as Nigeria’s agricultural sector shows continued recovery and growth, bolstering overall economic performance.

According to the National Bureau of Statistics, Nigeria’s Gross Domestic Product expanded by 3.98% year-on-year in real terms in Q3 2025, up from 3.86% in the same quarter of 2024.

During this period, the agricultural sector grew by 3.79%, an increase from 2.55% in Q3 2024.