By:Joe Ephraim, Calabar
The Cross River State Government has launched an ambitious coffee development programme aimed at transforming the state’s economy through job creation, export expansion and the distribution of 30 million coffee seedlings to smallholder farmers over the next seven years.
Commissioner for Agriculture, Johnson Ebokpo, disclosed this in Calabar, describing the initiative, tagged the Coffee Revolution, as Governor Bassey Otu’s strategy to diversify the state’s agricultural economy beyond cocoa and position Cross River as Nigeria’s leading coffee-producing state.
Ebokpo said the 30 million seedlings would cover about 27,000 hectares of farmland under the state’s seven-year coffee development plan, with the first phase involving the distribution of four million seedlings this planting season after one million were distributed in 2025 before planting was suspended due to the end of the rainy season.
He said the programme targets both smallholder and commercial farmers and is expected to stimulate economic activities across the coffee value chain, including production, processing, logistics, warehousing, tourism and exports.
“The vision is to create jobs, improve livelihoods and ensure Cross River becomes the leading coffee ecosystem in Nigeria and West Africa,” the commissioner said
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According to him, more than 17,000 farmers have already been enumerated for the programme, with women accounting for the majority of registered beneficiaries following mobilisation by the Office of the Wife of the Governor.
He said Arabica coffee would be cultivated in Obudu, Obanliku and parts of Bekwarra, while Robusta coffee would be grown across the rest of the state.
Ebokpo said the state had developed a coffee roadmap anchored on institutional reforms, production, post-harvest processing, marketing, access to finance and sustainability to drive the sector’s long-term growth.
He disclosed that bills establishing a Tree Crop Development Agency and amending the Cross River Produce Law had been transmitted to the State House of Assembly to strengthen regulation, improve traceability and enhance access to premium international markets.
The commissioner also announced plans to establish a Coffee Commodity Exchange to aggregate produce, connect farmers directly with buyers and reduce the role of middlemen, while partnerships with the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO), the Cocoa Research Institute of Nigeria (CRIN), the Ugandan Coffee Development Agency and World Coffee Research would improve yields and productivity.
He added that communal coffee washing and drying stations would be established to improve quality and premium pricing, while the initiative would also promote coffee tourism, youth entrepreneurship and the development of export-ready coffee brands.
Ebokpo noted that although the global coffee industry was valued at about 470 billion dollars in 2025, African producers earned only a fraction of the proceeds, stressing that Cross River intends to secure greater value for its farmers.
Representing the Chairman of the House Committee handling the proposed legislation, Hon Neji Abang, member representing Ikom I State Constituency, said the Tree Crop Development Agency Bill had passed first and second readings and would soon undergo a public hearing before its passage.
The Director-General of the Cross River Geographic Information Agency (CRGIA), William Archibong, said the agency was deploying geospatial technology to digitally map coffee farms, ensure traceability and guarantee compliance with the European Union Deforestation Regulation (EUDR).
He disclosed that more than 17,000 farmers had been captured in the state’s agricultural database, with about 19,000 hectares already mapped and a target of 100,000 hectares before the end of the year.
A representative of the Office of the Wife of the Governor, Queen Eton Essien said the First Lady had mobilised women across the state’s 18 local government areas for coffee farming and supported capacity-building in coffee production and processing.
The National President of the National Coffee and Tea Association of Nigeria, Dr Hassan Usman, commended the state government for prioritising coffee development, saying research conducted in communities such as Boki and Obudu confirmed Cross River’s suitability for commercial coffee production.
He added that the planned distribution of 30 million coffee seedlings would benefit about 28,000 smallholder farmers, particularly women and youths, while creating jobs across the coffee value chain, and pledged the association’s continued support for the programme.
Also speaking, the Managing Director of Lingzi Global Coffee, Blessing Nanman, said the company would invest in coffee production, processing, skills development and value addition, including establishing a coffee academy, supporting cooperatives and hosting an international coffee festival in Cross River.
