Cross River State Governor, Bassey Otu, has 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
Disclosing this during a press briefing in Calabar, the Commissioner for Agricultural Development and Irrigation, Johnson Ebokpo, said the initiative, christened: “The Coffee Revolution,” is a strategic intervention of the governor 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.
The commissioner said the first phase of the programme began with five million seedlings, explaining that 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.
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He noted that the programme is focused primarily on smallholder farmers, while commercial production will follow in subsequent phases.
Ebokpo, revealed that the state has 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 experiences from 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 the state 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.
Also speaking at the briefing, National President of the National Coffee and Tea Association of Nigeria, 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 State 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.
