How to Export Garri and Cassava Flour to Overseas Buyers (2026 Guide)

Garri is a staple that Nigerians and other West Africans living abroad look for, but shipping it takes more than filling bags. If you want to export garri, you are dealing with food regulators at home, the buyer's specification, and labels that must satisfy both NAFDAC and the destination country. This guide explains what the official pages say about NAFDAC export requirements, how garri and edible cassava flour are defined by the international Codex standards, how to label a pack for export, and how to approach overseas buyers. Where we could not confirm something, we say so.

Who can export garri from Nigeria?

Nigeria's Export Promotion Council (NEPC) says formal exports begin with exporter registration and an exporter certificate. Its documents page also lists the export contract, quality documents, commercial invoice, proforma invoice, packing list, the Nigeria Export Proceeds (NXP) form issued by a bank, and, for processed and semi-processed food, a NAFDAC health certificate. That page is dated 29 August 2020, so treat it as a starting point, and check the current NEPC page.

We did not find an official page that names garri specifically. NAFDAC's export guidelines apply to processed and semi-processed foods in general, so ask NAFDAC's ports inspection office which route garri and cassava flour follow.

NAFDAC export requirements for processed food

NAFDAC's guideline for health certificates on processed and semi-processed foods describes these steps:

• Apply in writing to the Director-General of NAFDAC, at least three weeks before the intended shipment date, with a copy to the Ports Inspection Directorate or your zonal head.
• Give your business name, address, product details (quantity, batch number, manufacturing and expiry dates, pack size) and the consignee's name and address.
• Attach supporting documents: NEPC registration certificate, NXP form and proforma invoice, phytosanitary certificate, export order, quality specifications from the importing country, a list of agrochemicals used, and a packing list.
• NAFDAC inspects your premises and samples the food for laboratory analysis, looking at location, staff, equipment, raw materials, standards such as GMP and HACCP, water and records.
• If the inspection and laboratory results are satisfactory, NAFDAC issues a health certificate.

The guideline states no fees and shows no version date, so ask NAFDAC for current costs and timelines. You can read the NAFDAC guideline directly.

What is garri under the Codex standard?

The Codex standard for gari (CXS 151-1989, adopted 1989, revised 1995, amended 2013) defines gari as the finished product from artisanal or industrial processing of cassava tubers. It sets moisture at 12.0 percent maximum, total ash at 2.75 percent maximum, crude fibre at 2 percent maximum and total acidity between 0.6 and 1 percent as lactic acid. The product must be called gari on the label. For sacks and other non-retail containers, it requires the product name, lot identification and the manufacturer or packer name and address, though lot and address can be replaced by an identification mark that matches the shipping documents. The standard we read gave no hydrocyanic acid limit.

Cassava flour export: what the Codex standard says

For edible cassava flour, the Codex standard (CXS 176-1989) allows 13 percent moisture maximum, 3.0 percent ash maximum and 2.0 percent crude fibre maximum. For fine flour, at least 90 percent must pass a 0.60 mm sieve, and at least 90 percent of coarse flour a 1.20 mm sieve. It says contaminant limits follow the general Codex contaminants standard, and pesticide residues must meet Codex maximum limits. Bitter cassava has to be detoxified, and the standard describes soaking the tubers for a few days before drying. Again, the page we read does not state a hydrocyanic acid limit, so we do not quote one. Your buyer or the destination country may have its own.

Codex standards are reference points, not a legal passport. Your destination country's rules and your buyer's contract decide what is accepted. See the Codex pages for gari and edible cassava flour.

Garri labelling requirements for export

NAFDAC has a guideline on labelling semi-processed foods for export, effective 27 January 2025 with review due 26 January 2030. It does not name garri or flour, so confirm that it applies to you. Its main points:

• Labels may be in English, the importing country's preferred language, or both.
• A translation from English into another language must be notarised by a Notary Public in Nigeria and submitted to NAFDAC.
• A label only in the importing country's language must carry an EXPORT ONLY declaration and a signed undertaking that the product will not be sold in Nigeria.
• Mandatory content includes product name, ingredients in descending order by weight, allergens, net quantity in metric units, country of origin, manufacturer or packer name and address, batch number, manufacturing and expiry dates, storage instructions, and nutrition information per 100 g based on the certificate of analysis.
• Barcodes or QR codes where applicable, and marks required by the importing country such as organic, halal or kosher.
• Claims such as gluten-free must be substantiated.

The guideline also says non-compliant products may be rejected in the destination market. The full NAFDAC labelling guideline is worth printing and checking line by line against your pack.

Selling garri to diaspora and ethnic food markets

Diaspora grocers and wholesalers are the usual first buyers, because they already know the product. We did not find an official statistic on garri demand abroad and will not invent one. In October 2023 NAFDAC publicly raised repeated rejections of Nigerian food exports in the UK with the UK Food Standards Agency, naming products such as sesame, cocoa and grains but not garri. The lesson applies anyway: buyers abroad are strict, rejections are costly, and good lab results and clean labels protect you. Before choosing a market, read that country's import rules for plant-based foods, because we have not verified them here.

Offer a small paid sample, state your grain size (fine or coarse), colour and moisture, and agree who pays for freight with the help of our Incoterms guide. Our wholesale African food guide shows how buyers think about MOQs and packaging.

Frequently asked questions

Do I need NAFDAC approval to export garri? NAFDAC's guideline requires a health certificate for processed and semi-processed foods, after inspection and lab testing. Confirm with NAFDAC how garri is classified.

Can I export garri in a plain bag? For non-retail containers, the Codex standard requires the product name, lot identification and packer details, and NAFDAC's labelling guideline applies to export packs. Check both.

What moisture should garri have for export? The Codex standard gives 12.0 percent maximum, but your buyer may require less.

Is cassava flour different from garri? Yes. Garri is a processed product with its own Codex standard, while edible cassava flour is made by milling dried chips and has different limits (13 percent moisture maximum).

Getting started

List your garri or cassava flour on Comilmart for free, even before verification, with photos, pack sizes, your lab results and NAFDAC details. Browse the food and agro category, check the verified supplier directory or create a free account. Overseas buyers can use the request for quotation page. Comilmart cannot guarantee buyers, volumes or prices, and rules change, so confirm requirements with NAFDAC and NEPC before every shipment.