Cross River to distribute 30m coffee seedlings

The Cross River State Government has unveiled an ambitious plan to make the state Nigeria’s leading coffee-producing hub, announcing a seven-year programme to distribute 30 million coffee seedlings to farmers and establish a legal framework to drive investment in the sector. The Commissioner for Agriculture and Irrigation, Johnson Ebokpo, disclosed this on Tuesday in Calabar, […]

The Cross River State Government has unveiled an ambitious plan to make the state Nigeria’s leading coffee-producing hub, announcing a seven-year programme to distribute 30 million coffee seedlings to farmers and establish a legal framework to drive investment in the sector.

The Commissioner for Agriculture and Irrigation, Johnson Ebokpo, disclosed this on Tuesday in Calabar, saying the initiative forms part of the state’s strategy to diversify its economy and reduce dependence on oil revenue.

He said the government had already distributed 13 million coffee seedlings, mainly to smallholder farmers in the Northern and Southern Senatorial Districts, where the climate and soil are suitable for the coffee species being promoted. 

The remaining seedlings, he said, would be distributed under the seven-year plan at a subsidised cost of N300 each to encourage wider participation.

 

 

 

Ebokpo said the state had acquired more than 27,000 hectares of land across its three senatorial districts for coffee cultivation and had undertaken study visits to Ghana, Ethiopia and Côte d’Ivoire to understudy successful coffee industries.

 

 

 

“We want to transition from dependence on oil to coffee and cocoa as major foreign exchange earners. Coffee is the second most traded commodity in the global market, and Cross River is determined to lead Nigeria in coffee production,” he said.

 

 

 

The commissioner added that the state planned to establish a Coffee Commodity Exchange Board and a Produce Board to strengthen marketing, while processing plants would also be set up to add value to locally produced coffee and create jobs.

 

 

 

Member of the Cross River State House of Assembly Committee on Agriculture, representing Ikom II State Constituency, Samuel Abang, said two executive bills aimed at promoting coffee and other economic crops had passed first and second readings in the Assembly. 

 

 

 

He expressed optimism that the proposed laws would provide the legal backing needed to transform the sector.

 

 

 

Also speaking, the National President of the National Coffee and Tea Association of Nigeria, Dr Hassan Usman, commended the state government for prioritising coffee development.

 

 

 

He said studies conducted in communities such as Boki and Obudu confirmed Cross River’s suitability for commercial coffee production, adding that the planned distribution of 30 million seedlings would benefit about 28,000 smallholder farmers, especially women and youths.

 

 

 

Managing Director of Lingzhi Global Nigeria Ltd, Blessing Nanman, whose firm is providing technical support for the initiative, said the state’s favourable climate and fertile soil would support successful coffee cultivation. 

 

 

 

She disclosed that plans were underway to host an international coffee festival in Cross River and establish a Coffee Academy to promote research, skills development and investment in the sector.