Firm Secures EU Market Access With 140,000-hectare Cocoa Traceability Project

As part of efforts to meet the European Union Deforestation Regulation (EUDR), Sunbeth Global Concepts said it has completed polygon mapping of 140,000 hectares of cocoa farms covering 30,000 farmers to safeguard Nigeria’s access to EU markets.
The disclosure was made in the company’s inaugural 2025 Sustainability Report, ‘Responsible Sourcing, Pioneering Action’.
Nigeria remains a major cocoa producer and exporter, but its exports are heavily tilted toward raw cocoa beans rather than higher-value processed products. The country exported $1.99 billion worth of cocoa beans in 2025, making cocoa the country’s biggest non-oil export commodity. The Nigerian Export Promotion Council (NEPC)disclosed this in February 2026.
The Company stated that “the polygon mapping of farmlands across key cocoa-growing states is designed to provide geolocation data and proof of deforestation-free sourcing as required under the EUDR.
“The regulation, which comes into full effect for cocoa in December 2025, will bar companies from selling products in the EU unless they can demonstrate their supply chains are not linked to forest degradation.”
With the EU accounting for a significant share of Nigeria’s cocoa exports, industry players have warned that failure to comply could shut out millions of smallholder farmers from a critical market.
The managing director of Sunbeth Global Concepts, Olasunkanmi Owoyemi said the mapping exercise was part of a broader strategy to integrate sustainability into the company’s business model and protect the livelihoods of farmers.
“Responsible sourcing is not a buzzword for us; it is fundamental to how we operate, manage risk, and create sustainable long-term value,” Owoyemi stated.
According to him, our adoption of IFRS S1 and S2 reflects our commitment to meeting global sustainability and disclosure standards because Nigerian agriculture deserves to compete at the highest level.
“While building these systems has demanded significant investment, it is necessary to strengthen the resilience of our business and ensure we can continue supporting the thousands of farmers whose livelihoods depend on access to international markets.”
The 2025 report revealed that Sunbeth established a 292.81 tCO2e baseline for Scope 1 and Scope 2 emissions and set a net-zero-by-2050 target.
It also trained over 6,000 farmers, distributed 60,000 hybrid cocoa seedlings, and remediated 80 child-labour-risk cases through its Child Labour Monitoring and Remediation Systems programme.
The firm said it has joined the International Cocoa Initiative, focused on addressing child labour in cocoa communities.
Sustainability director, Oyinkansola Owoyemi said the report marks a shift from compliance to integration.
“This is about integration, not just disclosure. For a sector that sits at the intersection of climate risk, community livelihoods, and global supply chains, this level of accountability is overdue,” she said.
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