…as Gov Otu approves 30million seedlings

…targets 28,000 Farmers in Non-Oil Diversification Drive

By Ike Uchechukwu, CALABAR

The Cross River State Government has rolled out a seven-year coffee development roadmap designed to diversify the state’s economy, deepen its non-oil export base and create thousands of jobs through large-scale coffee production.

The Commissioner for Agriculture and Irrigation Development, Johnson Ebokpo, disclosed yesterday during a round table business meeting in Calabar where he outlined the state’s strategy for building a sustainable coffee value chain between 2024 and 2032.

According to him, the initiative, tagged the “Coffee Revolution,” is designed to complement the state’s existing cocoa industry while positioning Cross River as a major coffee-producing hub in Nigeria and Africa, part of a broader push to reduce the state’s reliance on oil revenue and build resilient, export-driven agricultural value chains.

“Governor Bassey Otu had approved the distribution of 30 million coffee seedlings to smallholder farmers over the life of the strategic plan.

“The programme would cover about 27,000 hectares of farmland. It is designed to complement the state’s cocoa industry while positioning Cross River as a major coffee-producing hub in Nigeria and Africa,” he said.

Ebokpo explained that the first phase began in 2025 with one million seedlings before being temporarily suspended at the end of the planting season, adding that four million seedlings would now be distributed during the current planting season.

“The vision is to diversify our income base, improve livelihoods and create a new export value chain that will generate wealth for our people,” he said.

He said the roadmap rests on five pillars institutional reforms, production, post-harvest management, marketing, and access to finance and sustainability and noted that a statewide farmer enumeration exercise has already been conducted, with women forming the majority of registered coffee farmers following advocacy from the Office of the First Lady.

“Cross River’s unique climate and agroecological zones make it suitable for the cultivation of both Arabica and Robusta coffee varieties.

“Arabica coffee would be cultivated in the Obudu, Bekwarra and parts of Boki highlands, while Robusta would be grown across other parts of the state,” he explained.

To strengthen the sector, Ebokpo said government was pursuing the establishment of a Coffee Development Agency, an amendment of the state’s Produce Law, and a Coffee Commodity Exchange to link farmers directly with buyers, alongside technical partnerships with international partners including Lindsay Global.

Speaking at the event, National President of the National Coffee and Tea Association of Nigeria, Dr Hassan Usman, commended the state for prioritising coffee development, noting the association’s research across Boki and Obudu had confirmed the state’s suitability for commercial production.

“The distribution of 30 million coffee seedlings would empower about 28,000 smallholder farmers, particularly women and youths, while creating employment opportunities across the coffee value chain.

“We hereby call for more collaboration with relevant stakeholders to ensure the successful implementation of the coffee development programme,” he said.