By BANNERNEWS Reporter, Calabar
The Cross River State Government has unveiled an ambitious plan to position the state as Nigeria’s leading coffee-producing hub, announcing a seven-year strategy that includes the distribution of 30 million coffee seedlings, the establishment of processing facilities, and legislation to regulate the sector.
Commissioner for Agriculture and Irrigation, Johnson Ebokpo, disclosed the plan during a press conference in Calabar, describing coffee as an untapped economic opportunity capable of transforming the state’s economy and reducing dependence on oil revenue.
He said the state had already committed substantial resources to reviving coffee production, including study visits to leading coffee-producing countries such as Ghana, Ethiopia and Côte d’Ivoire to understand global best practices. According to him, the government has also acquired more than 27,000 hectares of land across the state’s three senatorial districts to drive large-scale cultivation.
Ebokpo revealed that 13 million coffee seedlings have already been distributed, particularly to farmers in the Northern and Southern Senatorial Districts, where soil and climatic conditions favour the coffee species being promoted. The remaining seedlings will be distributed under the seven-year plan at a subsidised cost of N300 each to encourage widespread participation.
He said women and young people would be given priority under the programme, noting that farmers had already been enumerated ahead of full implementation.
“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 we are determined to make Cross River the leader in this subsector in Nigeria,” Ebokpo said.
The commissioner added that the state plans to establish a Coffee Commodity Exchange Board and a Produce Board to institutionalise marketing and strengthen the coffee value chain. He also disclosed that processing plants would be established within the state to add value to locally produced coffee, create jobs and stimulate economic growth.
Chairman of the Cross River State House of Assembly Committee on Agriculture and member representing Ikom II State Constituency, Samuel Abang, said the legislature was already considering two executive bills designed to support coffee and other economic crop development. According to him, both bills have passed first and second readings and are expected to provide the legal framework needed to accelerate investment in the sector.
Also speaking, National President of the National Coffee and Tea Association of Nigeria, Dr Hassan Usman, commended the state government for prioritising coffee development. He said research conducted by the association in communities including Boki and Obudu confirmed that Cross River possesses the climate and soil suitable for commercial coffee production. He added that the planned distribution of 30 million seedlings would benefit about 28,000 smallholder farmers, particularly women and youths, while generating employment across the coffee value chain.
Managing Director of Lingzhi Global Nigeria Ltd, the technical partner for the initiative, Blessing Nanman, said Cross River’s favourable climate and fertile soil would support rapid coffee production.
She disclosed that plans were underway to host an international Coffee Festival in the state and establish a Coffee Academy to develop skills and attract global investment into the emerging industry.
