The Raw Materials Research and Development Council (RMRDC) has launched a national initiative to position Nigeria for a share of the $5 billion global Aloe Vera market, as part of efforts to boost industrialization, exports, and economic diversification.

Director-General of RMRDC, Prof. Nnanyelugo Ike-Muonso, announced the initiative at a National Stakeholders’ Engagement on Aloe Vera Value Chain Development held at the Council’s headquarters in Abuja.

He said the engagement marked a practical step toward transforming Aloe Vera cultivation into a viable national value chain capable of creating jobs, reducing imports, and promoting local manufacturing.

Ike-Muonso noted that despite Nigeria’s natural advantage, the country lags behind in the global Aloe Vera industry due to a lack of reliable data, certified seedlings, and weak institutional coordination.

Describing Aloe Vera as a wonder plant with vast potential across the pharmaceutical, cosmetic, food, and allied industries, he listed the key challenges hindering its development in Nigeria, including inadequate technology, poor quality control, limited financing, and lack of harmonized regulatory standards.

The DG outlined RMRDC’s strategic plans, which include establishing a National Aloe Vera Working Group (NAWG), conducting baseline surveys, developing standards in collaboration with NAFDAC and SON, supporting certified nurseries, and linking SMEs with investors and markets.

He called for collaboration among government agencies, investors, researchers, and regulators to develop a comprehensive Aloe Vera Value Chain Roadmap, describing the plant as a potential model for indigenous raw materials development that could create jobs, reduce imports, and boost exports.

Earlier, the Director of Agriculture and Agro-Allied Raw Materials at RMRDC, Dr. Sab Ebiriekwe, said the meeting aimed to bring stakeholders together to chart a roadmap for developing Nigeria’s Aloe Vera industry, describing the plant as an underutilized agro resource despite its global economic potential.

Managing Director of Dipton Nigeria Ltd, Ike Willie-Nwobu, commended RMRDC’s leadership and announced a partnership with India’s Loharu Agro Farm to provide technical mentorship and support local content development.

Two technical papers were presented at the engagement: “Aloe Vera as an Industrial Plant – Experience from Loharu Agro Farm, India” and “Development of Aloe Vera as Industrial Raw Material for Economic Diversification and Sustainable Growth in Nigeria.”

Participants agreed to establish a multi-stakeholder task force to implement an Aloe Vera Development Roadmap under RMRDC’s Raw Materials Development and Commercialization Framework.