The Cross River State Government has unveiled an ambitious coffee development programme aimed at transforming the state's agricultural sector, expanding export opportunities and creating thousands of jobs for women and youths through the distribution of 30 million coffee seedlings over the next seven years.
By Victoria Omini
Speaking during a press briefing in Calabar on Monday, Commissioner for Agricultural Development and Irrigation, Johnson Andiambey, said the initiative, christened the Coffee Revolution, is a strategic intervention by Governor Bassey Otu to diversify the state's economy beyond cocoa, which has remained Cross River's dominant export crop for decades.
According to the commissioner, the coffee initiative is the first deliberate effort since the establishment of the Eastern Nigeria cocoa estates between 1957 and 1960 to introduce another globally competitive cash crop into the state's agricultural value chain.
He explained that the programme was not conceived overnight but was the outcome of extensive research and stakeholder consultations carried out after the present administration assumed office.
"We conducted a situational analysis to determine how best to diversify the state's income base and improve the livelihoods of our people. We discovered that while cocoa has served us well, relying on a single export commodity exposes farmers to fluctuations in international prices. Coffee presents another opportunity to build wealth and strengthen our economy," Andiambey said.
He disclosed that Governor Otu approved the distribution of 30 million coffee seedlings to smallholder farmers under a seven year strategic plan covering 2024 to 2032. The seedlings are expected to cover about 27,000 hectares of farmland and establish both Arabica and Robusta coffee plantations across the state.
The commissioner said the first phase of the programme began with five million seedlings. Although only one million seedlings were distributed in 2025 due to the late commencement of the planting season, the government is set to distribute the remaining four million seedlings during the current planting season.
He noted that the programme is focused primarily on smallholder farmers while commercial production will follow in subsequent phases.
Andiambey revealed that the state had already completed a comprehensive farmer enumeration exercise, with the support of the Office of the First Lady, adding that women constitute the majority of registered beneficiaries.
Drawing from experiences in Kenya, Ethiopia, Uganda, Cameroon and Côte d'Ivoire, he explained that women play critical roles in coffee production across Africa, making their inclusion essential to the programme's success.
He further disclosed that Cross River is receiving technical support from Lindsay Global Coffee, an African market systems organisation, while a multi stakeholder committee has developed a comprehensive coffee roadmap anchored on institutional development, production, post production, marketing, access to finance and sustainability.
According to him, the government is also pursuing institutional reforms, including the establishment of an Interim Coffee Development Agency and amendments to the state's Produce Law to strengthen regulation, quality standards and access to premium international markets.
He explained that study visits to Ghana and Côte d'Ivoire, supported by the United Kingdom funded Propcom programme, enabled the state to understudy successful coffee and cocoa institutions such as the Ghana Cocoa Board and the Ghana Tree Crop Development Authority.
"Our goal is not simply to produce coffee but to produce premium coffee that meets international standards. Premium quality attracts premium prices and ensures that our farmers earn more from what they produce," he said.
The commissioner noted that Cross River possesses favourable ecological conditions for both Arabica and Robusta coffee production, describing the state's climate and rainfall pattern as among the best on the continent.
He said Arabica coffee would be cultivated mainly in the highland communities of Obudu, Bekwarra and parts of Obanliku, while Robusta varieties would be grown across the rest of the state.
To improve quality and preserve flavour profiles required in international markets, Andiambey said local government councils would be encouraged to establish communal washing and drying stations for coffee processing.
He added that the government plans to establish a Coffee Commodity Exchange to aggregate produce, connect farmers directly with buyers and eliminate exploitative middlemen.
"We are not interested in fixing prices. Our objective is to guarantee markets, improve transparency and ensure that farmers receive greater value from their produce," he stated.
The commissioner also highlighted discussions at the recent African Coffee Forum in Marrakech, Morocco, where stakeholders raised concerns over the unequal distribution of earnings within the global coffee industry.
According to him, although the global coffee industry is valued at about 470 billion dollars annually, producing countries receive only a small fraction of the revenue, while African nations account for just about 2.5 billion dollars of total global earnings.
He said Cross River's coffee initiative seeks to position the state to benefit from higher value activities within the coffee supply chain, including processing, packaging and premium exports.
Also speaking at the briefing, National President of the National Coffee and Tea Association of Nigeria, Dr Hassan Usman, commended Governor Otu for demonstrating commitment to revitalising Nigeria's coffee industry.
Usman recalled that the association conducted feasibility studies across several communities in Cross River between 2019 and 2020 and confirmed that the state possesses suitable conditions for commercial coffee and tea production.
He described the governor's decision to distribute 30 million coffee seedlings as a major intervention capable of empowering about 28,000 women and youths through one hectare coffee farms.
According to him, properly managed coffee plantations could produce between 2.5 and 3.5 tonnes per hectare annually, generating substantial income for farmers while creating employment and improving rural livelihoods.
Usman observed that Nigeria was once among Africa's leading coffee producers before poor market structures forced many farmers to abandon the crop.
He stressed that continuous collaboration among government, farmers, processors, marketers and financial institutions would be critical to preventing a repeat of the industry's past decline.
The NACOFTA president also disclosed that Cross River has formally registered as a coffee producing state under the association and expressed confidence that the state's renewed investment in coffee would position it as a major player in Nigeria's agricultural diversification agenda.
0 Comments