Sunbeth Launches Cocoa Training Programme

Sunbeth Global Concepts has launched a major sustainability and farmer training programme aimed at reaching 100,000 cocoa farmers by 2040, in a move expected to strengthen Nigeria’s position in the global cocoa supply chain and improve compliance with rising international sustainability standards.

The initiative, known as “Orange Cocoa”, is structured around three pillars: Better Cocoa, Better Life, and Better Planet. Under the Better Cocoa pillar, the company plans to train 100,000 farmers in good agricultural and post harvest practices, distribute one million improved hybrid cocoa seedlings, and establish three regional cocoa quality testing hubs across its sourcing regions. In 2026 alone, Sunbeth says more than 60,000 hybrid seedlings will be distributed to farmers in its network.

The programme comes at a decisive moment for Nigeria’s cocoa industry. Global demand for sustainable and traceable cocoa is rising, while exporters are under growing pressure to prove that cocoa entering major markets is produced without deforestation, child labour, or poor supply chain practices. The European Union Deforestation Regulation covers cocoa among key commodities and requires covered products entering or leaving the EU market to meet deforestation free standards from 30 December 2026.

Sunbeth’s intervention is not only about production volume. It is also about quality, traceability, farmer livelihoods, and long term market access. The company says Orange Cocoa is designed to improve productivity, strengthen the resilience of smallholder farmers, and support a more responsible cocoa supply chain. This matters because Nigerian cocoa still faces persistent challenges, including low yields, ageing farms, climate pressure, limited farmer access to improved seedlings, and gaps in quality assurance.

Under the Better Life pillar, Sunbeth says it will implement a “Child Labour Monitoring and Remediation System” to ensure that every identified child at risk of child labour receives and completes an approved remediation plan within twelve months. The company also plans to establish 350 Village Savings and Loan Associations and implement community led development projects in 300 cocoa communities, focusing on locally identified priorities such as education, water, health, and basic infrastructure.

The Better Planet pillar focuses on environmental protection and regenerative cocoa farming. Sunbeth’s long term commitments include planting 300,000 shade trees on cocoa farms by 2040, supporting climate smart cocoa production, and helping farmers adopt practices that reduce environmental harm while improving productivity. This is particularly important as climate change continues to affect cocoa yields in Southwest Nigeria, where changing weather patterns, low adoption of improved technologies, and extreme events have placed pressure on smallholder production.

Sunbeth Global Concepts has grown into one of Nigeria’s notable agro commodity exporters since its formal establishment in 2017. The company describes itself as a Nigerian rooted global agro commodities sourcing and trading firm, with operations and footprints linked to markets including South Africa, Cameroon, Dubai, the United Kingdom, and the Netherlands. Its business covers cocoa, cashew, and broader supply chain solutions.

The company’s founder and Managing Director, Olasunkanmi Owoyemi, has positioned Sunbeth as a key player in Nigeria’s cocoa export market. According to Sunbeth’s corporate profile, the company commands more than 16 percent of Nigeria’s cocoa export market and exports cocoa to global chocolate manufacturers. These claims underline why its sustainability programme could have wider effects beyond its immediate farmer network.

The launch also reflects a broader shift in Nigeria’s cocoa economy. High international cocoa prices have recently renewed interest in cocoa farming, drawing young Nigerians and professionals back into cocoa producing communities. Reuters reported that the Cocoa Farmers Association of Nigeria recorded more than 10,000 new members between 2023 and 2024, while cocoa prices rose sharply following output declines in Côte d’Ivoire and Ghana.

However, higher prices alone will not solve the structural weaknesses in Nigeria’s cocoa sector. Nigeria remains the world’s fourth largest cocoa producer, but its output still trails far behind Côte d’Ivoire and Ghana. Reuters reported Nigeria’s cocoa output at about 315,000 metric tonnes, compared with 2.24 million tonnes for Côte d’Ivoire and 654,000 tonnes for Ghana. That gap shows why training, seedlings, quality testing, and traceability systems are not optional extras. They are central to competitiveness.

The real test for Sunbeth will be implementation. Training 100,000 farmers by 2040 is ambitious, but the impact will depend on whether farmers receive practical, repeated, field based support rather than one off workshops. The company will also need transparent reporting on how many farmers are trained yearly, how seedlings are distributed, survival rates of planted seedlings, yield improvements, child labour remediation outcomes, and whether farmers earn better incomes.

For Nigeria, the programme could support three strategic goals. First, it could raise farm productivity through improved planting materials and better agronomic practices. Second, it could help Nigerian cocoa exporters meet stricter buyer and regulatory expectations in Europe and other premium markets. Third, it could improve rural livelihoods by linking sustainability to farmer income, savings groups, and community development.