The Cross River State government, in partnership with a multinational agribusiness company, JR Farms, is set to lead Nigeria’s coffee revolution with the launching of an initiative to cultivate 30 million coffee seedlings across the state, marking a bold step toward reviving and expanding coffee production in the country.
The flag-off of the project which held on Thursday in Calabar, brought together key government officials, agricultural stakeholders, representatives of JR Farms, and officials of the French government, who came to witness the launch of what is expected to become one of the largest coffee cultivation projects in West Africa.
Speaking at the ceremony, Governor Bassey Otu, described the initiative as a strategic move to reintroduce and reposition Cross River as the coffee capital of Nigeria and an emerging player in the international coffee market.
“With 30 million robust and climate-appropriate seedlings being distributed across our 18 local government areas, this project offers much more than cultivation. It is about creating jobs, generating wealth, building sustainable livelihoods, promoting agro-industrial development, and restoring our ecological balance.
“We are particularly proud of the strategic partnership with JR Farms, whose global footprint in the agrifood space and expertise in coffee value chains bring tremendous value to this initiative. Through their involvement, we are assured of technical support, market access, and international best practices in every aspect of implementation,” Otu said.
The governor commended farmers, women, youth, and traditional institutions in the state for embracing the project with open arms, saying their commitment gave him confidence that the initiative would flourish. He added that the project reflected his administration’s resolve to diversify the state’s economy, fight rural poverty, and create a more inclusive and sustainable agricultural ecosystem.
Founder and CEO of JR Farms, Olawale Rotimi-Opeyemi, expressed delight at the re-emergence of coffee production in Nigeria, noting that after nine years of working in the coffee value chain across East Africa, engaging over 4,000 farmers and exporting coffee to various parts of the world, he was glad to bring that experience back home.
Olawale, who commended the Cross River state government’s commitment to agricultural development, said the 30 million coffee seedling cultivation project would engender prosperity for the people, ensure rural development, create jobs for youth and women, and place the state on the global map of coffee production.
The JR Farms CEO disclosed that with years of operations in Nigeria, Rwanda, France, and Zambia, his company would deploy its extensive wealth of experience in coffee production and global marketing to ensure the long-term success of the project and help Cross River become a major player in the international coffee market.
“We will offer technical support by training by farmers across the state using the Train-the-Trainer approach. This training will cover the agronomy practices for coffee, ethical practices, and economics of coffee production for the first phase. 11,000 farmers have already been on boarded under the project.
“We will also open a 3-way line of communication between us, the State Ministry of Agriculture and Irrigation Development, and the farmers to ensure quick technical support for farmers who may be facing post-planting challenges,” he noted.
He revealed that, in collaboration with the Agriculture Ministry, his firm would establish coffee washing stations in different parts of the state, which he said would serve farmers after harvest, adding that “after washing stations are built, we will have another layer of training to support farmers on harvesting, sorting, washing, fermenting, and drying, among others.”
Speaking further, Rotimi said JR Farms would also develop and hand over to the Cross River government an implementable framework to access the global market as part of efforts to ensure farmers in the state get value for their investment and effort.
“We are also committed to off-taking coffee produced across the State to meet the rising global market that we have. We will also, through global platforms and media publications, actively push stories of Cross River Coffee to the world to wet the appetite of coffee lovers globally,” he said.
Olawale also appreciated the French Embassy in Nigeria, which was represented at the event by its Senior Trade Specialist, Valor Iduh, for its continued support toward his company and coffee production in Nigeria. He disclosed that the Embassy was working with his firm to secure a coffee roasting machine for Nigeria as part of the broader plan to strengthen local value addition.
Also speaking, the Cross River Commissioner for Agriculture and Irrigation Development, Hon. Johnson Ebokpo, said the flag-off ceremony followed a rigorous enumeration process that recorded massive participation of men, women, and youth farmers across the State.
He disclosed that 30 million high-quality Robusta and Arabica seedlings would be distributed and cultivated based on ecological suitability across the 18 local government areas of the State.
Ebokpo, who said the state government’s commitment to repositioning agriculture was deliberate, unwavering, and strategic, emphasised that “the project goes beyond coffee production to wealth creation for farmers, attracting sustainable investment, empowering communities, promoting fair trade and ethical practices, building a green economy, and advancing value chain development.”
The Nation Reporter
