NIGERIA MARKET INTELLIGENCE BRIEF SOYBEAN MEAL

The EU is the world's largest soybean meal importer, with 18.5 million MT imported in 2024/25, a record 24% year-on-year increase. The EU livestock sector, encompassing pig, poultry, dairy cattle, and aquaculture operations across Germany, Denmark, Netherlands, Spain, and France, depends on soybean meal as its primary high-protein feed ingredient. At 44-48% crude protein content, soybean meal has no practical large-scale substitute in EU compound feed formulations. Nigeria is West Africa's largest soybean producer, with production concentrated in the Middle Belt states of Benue, Kwara, Kogi, Niger, Plateau, and Nasarawa, spanning an estimated 800,000 to 1 million hectares of cultivation. Nigerian soybeans are recognised for high protein content and are well-suited to the climatic and soil conditions of the Guinea Savanna zone. Annual production is estimated at 700,000-900,000 metric tonnes of raw soybean grain, with significant upside potential if improved variety adoption, mechanisation, and agronomic support are deployed at scale.