Top Fresh Produce Exporters in Niger — Sesame, Cowpeas, Violet de Galmi Onions & Groundnuts

SONIPHOR is Niger's primary state-supported agricultural export marketing company, coordinating export of the country's most commercially significant produce: Violet de Galmi onions, cowpeas, sesame, and groundnuts. The company operates aggregation centres in Tahoua (onions), Maradi (cowpeas and groundnuts), and Dosso (sesame).

Export volumes coordinated through SONIPHOR reach 80,000–120,000 tonnes of onions per season, 30,000 tonnes of cowpeas, and 20,000 tonnes of sesame. The company provides DPE export registration, DPV phytosanitary certificates, and weight certificates for all coordinated shipments.

NACI is a Niamey-based agricultural trading company focused on sesame and groundnut exports to Asian and European buyers. The company sources white sesame from Dosso and Maradi regions, achieving purity ≥99% through double-pass colour sorting and gravity separation. Aflatoxin testing (B1 ≤2 ppb for EU-grade sesame) is conducted at an ISO 17025-accredited laboratory in Lagos.

Annual sesame export volumes are 15,000–20,000 tonnes, shipped through Cotonou Port in 25 kg woven polypropylene bags. NACI has direct supply relationships with Japanese sesame processors in Osaka and Korean importers in Seoul, as well as EU tahini manufacturers in Germany and the Netherlands.

GOCEA is the primary cooperative alliance for Violet de Galmi onion exports from Tahoua Region, representing 1,800 onion farmer members across Galmi, Madaoua, and Bouza subprefectures. The cooperative manages collective marketing of the GI-protected variety, ensuring quality standards (dry matter ≥12%, bulb diameter ≥5cm, freedom from Allium White Rot disease) are maintained.

Fresh onions are exported to Nigeria, Côte d'Ivoire, Ghana, and Benin by road in ventilated trucks. Dried and dehydrated onion products are exported to EU food processors in Germany and the Netherlands and Middle Eastern spice distributors in Turkey and Saudi Arabia.

MCEC is a Maradi-based cooperative exporting cowpeas from Niger's primary legume-growing region. Niger's cowpeas are known for their clean, nutty flavour, smooth cream-coloured skin, and consistent eye-spot colour. MCEC processes cowpeas through mechanical cleaning, gravity sorting, and optical colour sorting to achieve 98% purity.

Quality certificates confirm moisture ≤13%, protein content ≥22%, foreign matter ≤0.5%, and absence of live insects. Export lots of 500–3,000 tonnes are shipped through Lagos Apapa Port to EU, USA, and Canadian health food distributors.

NGPL operates groundnut processing facilities in Maradi — the heartland of Niger's 'Groundnut Basin' — producing groundnut kernels, groundnut oil, and groundnut cake. Groundnut kernels (25/29 count, aflatoxin B1 ≤4 ppb for EU) are exported in 25 kg polypropylene bags to Dutch peanut processors and UK food manufacturers.

Crude groundnut oil is exported in 200-litre drums and ISO tanks to West African food processors and EU refinery buyers. Groundnut cake (protein ≥45%) is exported to EU animal feed manufacturers. Pre-shipment aflatoxin testing is conducted at an SGS-accredited laboratory in Kano, Nigeria.

SGEN sources gum arabic from Acacia senegal and Acacia seyal trees in Dosso and Tahoua regions. Niger's gum arabic delivers consistent quality Grade A (Acacia senegal, Type 1) suitable for food and pharmaceutical applications. Gum arabic is harvested between October and February and packed in 50 kg polypropylene bags.

Primary buyers are EU food additive distributors (E414 approval), pharmaceutical excipient manufacturers in Germany and France, and beverage companies requiring gum arabic as an emulsifier. DPE export registration and DPV phytosanitary certificates accompany all shipments.

Agri-Sahel Moringa Export produces moringa leaf powder and moringa seed oil from cultivated Moringa oleifera plots in the Tillabéri and Niamey Urban Commune regions. Niger's Sahel climate produces moringa leaves with exceptionally high nutrient density confirmed by laboratory analysis.

Moringa leaf powder is shade-dried, milled to ≤300 micron particle size, and exported in sealed foil bags and 20 kg bulk drums. Moringa seed oil (cosmetic grade, oleic acid ≥65%) is cold-pressed and filtered. The company is pursuing EU organic certification with an audit scheduled for late 2026.

Trans-Sahara Sesame & Légumes is a Dosso-based trading company with commodity lines spanning white sesame, cowpeas, and sorghum. The company aggregates from farmer groups in Dosso, Loga, and Boboye districts — an area known for particularly clean, machine-sortable white sesame with purity levels consistently ≥99.5% after processing.

Sesame is processed at the company's Dosso facility and exported through Cotonou Port in 25 kg woven bags. Sorghum is exported to Nigeria and Côte d'Ivoire for brewing and animal feed.

ZCPE operates Niger's most advanced cowpea value-adding facility in Zinder, producing hulled cowpeas, cowpea flour, and cowpea protein concentrate (70% protein by dry weight) for export to EU health food manufacturers and plant-based protein ingredient companies.

Cowpea flour (moisture ≤10%, protein ≥22%, starch ≥55%) is packed in 25 kg multi-wall paper bags with nitrogen flushing. The protein concentrate is exported in 20 kg food-grade drums. EU buyers in Germany, France, and the Netherlands are primary customers.

NWSCE is a women-led shea export cooperative sourcing unrefined shea butter and raw shea nuts from wild-harvested Vitellaria paradoxa trees in Dosso and Tillabéri regions. Niger's shea parkland zone produces nuts with high stearic acid content (≥40%) valued by EU chocolate manufacturers.

Shea butter is cold-pressed by cooperative members using improved stainless steel equipment provided through an IFAD support programme. FFA content is maintained at ≤1.5% and moisture at ≤0.5%. Annual production is 800 tonnes of shea butter and 2,000 tonnes of shea nuts.

Afrigrains Niger Export is a diversified agricultural commodity aggregator trading across sesame, cowpeas, sorghum, millet, and groundnuts. The company leverages all three export corridors — Lagos, Cotonou, and Lomé — selecting the optimal route based on vessel schedules, commodity type, and buyer destination.

Afrigrains maintains DPE export registration for all commodity categories and coordinates phytosanitary certification from DPV for all plant-based exports. The company's logistics manager is based in Cotonou and maintains relationships with three bonded warehouses at Cotonou Port.