Nigeria, July 19 -- The Federal Government has clarified that it has no plans to ban the export of raw cocoa beans, stating its policy is to promote local value addition while maintaining Nigeria's position in the global cocoa market.

The Minister of Agriculture and Food Security, Abubakar Kyari, made the clarification in a statement on Friday following public discussions over comments made by President Bola Tinubu during the Cocoa Value Addition Summit 2026 in Abuja.

"Our objective is value addition, not an export ban," Mr Kyari stated.

He said the government's priority under the Renewed Hope Agenda is to build a globally competitive cocoa industry by encouraging greater domestic processing while allowing raw cocoa exports to continue...