Corn (maize) from Argentina to Nigeria: landed cost
Short answer: On Argentina to Nigeria, the decisive cost lines are usually not freight but destination-side: port and clearance charges, inland trucking to inland mills, FX access and LC confirmation. Model landed cost per tonne at mill intake weight, and price the demurrage risk explicitly.
Argentine corn reaches Nigeria as bulk parcels into Lagos or Onne, or containerised for smaller inland buyers. Up-River loading at Rosario is draft-constrained, so parcels are often topped up at a second berth — which affects both the freight quote and the weight basis. On the destination side, port congestion and inland haulage to Kaduna, Kano or Ibadan can add more per tonne than the ocean leg.
Rosario / Up-River / Bahía Blanca
Lagos (Apapa / Tin Can) / Onne
Typically 25–35 days from Up-River Argentina to Lagos, plus berth waiting at discharge that is the single most variable element on this lane.
Bulk parcels of 10,000–35,000 t, or 25–26 t per 40 ft container for inland container-door delivery.
Worked landed cost: Argentina → Nigeria
Every figure below is an illustrative planning input, not a live rate or an offer. Overwrite each one with your own supplier quotation, forwarder rate, tariff line and bank cost — the table recalculates as you type, in your browser only.
| Cost line | Your figure | Where the real number comes from |
|---|---|---|
| Supplier quotation — From the supplier's written offer, on a stated moisture and specification basis. | ||
| Supplier quotation — Contract quantity, before any weight-franchise tolerance. | ||
| Freight forwarder quotation — Quote for the specific load port, discharge port and cargo form (bulk or containerised). | ||
| Your bank or insurer — Your marine cargo policy rate; higher for bagged and transhipped cargo. | ||
| Customs tariff / broker — Confirm against your own tariff schedule and HS classification, including any preferential rate. | ||
| Customs tariff / broker — Some destinations zero-rate feed raw materials; verify before assuming. | ||
| Port / terminal tariff — Stevedoring, THC, sampling and laboratory, agency and broker fees for the whole shipment. | ||
| Freight forwarder quotation — Port-to-mill trucking or rail at your actual distance. | ||
| Your bank or insurer — Issuance, confirmation and tenor cost from your bank. | ||
| Port / terminal tariff — Handling and moisture loss between bill of lading weight and mill intake weight. |
Cost build-up
| Component | Shipment total | Per tonne |
|---|---|---|
| Goods (FOB) | USD 2,562,500 | USD 205.00 |
| Ocean freight | USD 725,000 | USD 58.00 |
| Marine insurance | USD 13,150 | USD 1.05 |
| Import duty | USD 165,033 | USD 13.20 |
| VAT / GST | USD 0 | USD 0.00 |
| Port, discharge & clearance | USD 145,000 | USD 11.60 |
| Inland to mill | USD 425,000 | USD 34.00 |
| LC / trade finance | USD 105,621 | USD 8.45 |
| CIF at discharge port | USD 3,300,650 | USD 264.05 |
| Landed at mill (over 12,350 t net of loss) | USD 4,141,303 | USD 335.33 |
Landed cost is 63.6% above the FOB price you entered. That gap — not the FOB headline — is what makes two offers on different Incoterms comparable.
Requirement summary
- Ingredient
- Corn (maize)
- Lane
- Argentina → Nigeria
- Quantity
- 12,500 t
- FOB entered
- USD 205.00 / t
- Duty / VAT entered
- 5% / 0%
- Loss allowance
- 1.2%
Calculated outputs
- CIF per tonne
- USD 264.05 / t
- Landed per tonne at mill
- USD 335.33 / t
- Shipment landed value
- USD 4,141,303
- Premium over FOB
- 63.6%
How it was calculated
Landed = (unit price × quantity) + freight + insurance + port/inspection/testing + (dutiable base × duty %) + taxes + demurrage + inland + finance cost, divided by delivered tonnes net of the loss/shrinkage % you enter. Where a nutrient basis matters, cost per usable dry-matter tonne = landed per tonne ÷ dry-matter fraction.
Model landed-cost · version 2.0.0 · last reviewed 2026-08-21 · full methodology
Data sources
- Your supplier's written quotation (price, specification, Incoterm)
- Your freight forwarder (ocean and inland rates for this exact port pair)
- Your customs broker and the destination tariff schedule (duty, VAT, HS classification)
- Your bank (LC cost, FX rate and rate date)
- Values you entered are treated as buyer input; pre-filled ingredient composition is generic reference data, not a supply guarantee, and should be replaced with your supplier specification or laboratory result.
Key assumptions
- Dry-matter correction only applies where you enter a moisture figure; do not compare an as-fed price with a dry-matter price.
- Every cost line is user-entered. No freight rate, duty rate, tax rate or exchange rate is fabricated or auto-filled from a market feed.
- Tariff classification and duty rates must be confirmed against your own customs tariff and HS classification.
Warnings and limitations
- The pre-filled figures on this page are illustrative planning values compiled from FeedMatch quotation work. They are not live market rates, not offers, and will not match your shipment.
- Duty, VAT and admissibility for corn (maize) into Nigeria change over time — confirm the current position before contracting.
- Excluded by default: demurrage beyond what you enter, storage after delivery, quality-claim outcomes, currency hedging cost.
Planning and procurement estimate only. Final formulations, ingredient inclusion, nutrient targets, feed safety, additive use and regulatory compliance must be approved by appropriately qualified professionals and the responsible manufacturer.
Next procurement step
Have the values above reviewed by the responsible professionals, then carry the approved figures into a request for quotation. Nothing is sent until you review and submit it yourself.
Request comparable offers for Argentina → NigeriaIncoterm and freight basis
| Term | Who pays what | Where risk passes | Use when |
|---|---|---|---|
| FOB Up-River | Buyer arranges ocean freight and insurance | On loading at the Argentine berth | You have competitive freight and want the draft/top-up arrangement in your control. |
| CFR Lagos | Seller books freight to the discharge port | At load port, not discharge | You want a single delivered-port number — then negotiate laytime and demurrage separately. |
| DDP mill (rare on bulk) | Seller covers duty, clearance and inland | At your gate | Only where the seller genuinely holds Nigerian import capability; otherwise it collapses at clearance. |
On this lane the laytime and demurrage clause matters as much as the Incoterm. Agree free time at discharge, the demurrage rate per day and who counts the time — a congested Lagos discharge can add double-digit dollars per tonne under a weak clause.
Documents required on Argentina → Nigeria
Typical HS heading: 1005.90. Maize (corn), other than seed. Nigerian import treatment of maize has been subject to periodic restriction, levies and permit requirements — confirm current admissibility, any import permit, and the applicable levy with your clearing agent before contracting.
| Document | Issued by | Why it matters |
|---|---|---|
| Form M and PAAR / e-valuation reference | Nigerian authorised dealer bank and Customs | Nigerian imports cannot be cleared without the pre-arrival documentation chain being opened first. |
| Commercial invoice and packing list | Supplier | Must match the Form M values, or clearance stalls. |
| Bill of lading | Carrier | Title and release document. |
| Certificate of origin | Argentine chamber | Origin verification and any preferential treatment. |
| Phytosanitary certificate | SENASA Argentina | Plant-health clearance at the Nigerian border. |
| Certificate of analysis (moisture, broken grains, foreign matter, aflatoxin) | Supplier / surveyor | Aflatoxin is the single most common rejection reason on maize into West Africa. |
| Fumigation certificate | Licensed fumigator | Standard requirement on grain into the region. |
| SONCAP / regulatory conformity where applicable | Appointed inspection body | Confirm with your agent whether your consignment class falls in scope. |
| Import permit where required | Relevant Nigerian ministry/agency | Maize admissibility has been restricted at times; verify before shipment. |
Check at discharge
- Aflatoxin B1 and total aflatoxin against your own acceptance limit, sampled per an agreed sampling plan — not a single grab sample.
- Moisture at intake, because a 14.5% cargo that arrives at 15.5% is both a weight and a storage-stability problem.
- Broken kernels, foreign matter and heat-damaged grains.
- Insect activity after a long voyage and any post-fumigation re-infestation.
What goes wrong on this lane
- Discharge-port congestion and demurrage, the biggest cost variance on this lane.
- FX availability and the delay between opening the Form M and funding the LC.
- Policy change on maize admissibility or levies between contract and arrival.
- Inland haulage cost and security to northern mills, which is quoted per trip, not per tonne, and moves with diesel.
Seasonality: Argentine corn harvest runs roughly March to July with a late-planted crop into August–September; FOB basis is typically softest post-harvest. Nigerian demand peaks ahead of the local dry season when domestic maize tightens.
Request comparable offers on this lane
The request opens prefilled with the corn (maize) specification lines above, the Argentina → Nigeria routing, and your current quantity and modelled landed cost, so every supplier quotes on one basis. Sourcing is free for buyers; suppliers compensate FeedMatch.
Related pages
- Corn / maize buyer hub
- Nigeria feed mill equipment projects
- Silos and storage in Nigeria
- Feed unit converters
Other trade lanes
FAQ
What is the landed cost of corn (maize) from Argentina to Nigeria?
On Argentina to Nigeria, the decisive cost lines are usually not freight but destination-side: port and clearance charges, inland trucking to inland mills, FX access and LC confirmation. Model landed cost per tonne at mill intake weight, and price the demurrage risk explicitly. Use the worked table on this page with your own supplier, forwarder, broker and bank figures — the illustrative values shown are planning inputs, not live rates or offers.
Which Incoterm should I buy corn (maize) on for this lane?
On this lane the laytime and demurrage clause matters as much as the Incoterm. Agree free time at discharge, the demurrage rate per day and who counts the time — a congested Lagos discharge can add double-digit dollars per tonne under a weak clause.
What documents are required to import corn (maize) into Nigeria?
Form M and PAAR / e-valuation reference; Commercial invoice and packing list; Bill of lading; Certificate of origin; Phytosanitary certificate; Certificate of analysis (moisture, broken grains, foreign matter, aflatoxin); Fumigation certificate; SONCAP / regulatory conformity where applicable; Import permit where required. Typical HS heading 1005.90. Maize (corn), other than seed. Nigerian import treatment of maize has been subject to periodic restriction, levies and permit requirements — confirm current admissibility, any import permit, and the applicable levy with your clearing agent before contracting.
How long does shipment take from Argentina to Nigeria?
Typically 25–35 days from Up-River Argentina to Lagos, plus berth waiting at discharge that is the single most variable element on this lane.
What should I check when the cargo arrives?
Aflatoxin B1 and total aflatoxin against your own acceptance limit, sampled per an agreed sampling plan — not a single grab sample. Moisture at intake, because a 14.5% cargo that arrives at 15.5% is both a weight and a storage-stability problem. Broken kernels, foreign matter and heat-damaged grains. Insect activity after a long voyage and any post-fumigation re-infestation.