CALABAR — At least 28,000 women and youth farmers across Cross River State are set to benefit from the state government’s newly launched “coffee revolution,” with each beneficiary projected to earn between N30 million and N40 million annually from one-hectare coffee plantations, officials have disclosed.
The initiative, unveiled at a press conference in Calabar on Wednesday, forms part of a seven-year strategic plan (2024–2032) championed by Governor Bassey Otu. It aims to diversify the state’s income base beyond cocoa by establishing coffee as a major cash crop.
According to the Commissioner for Agricultural Development and Irrigation, Johnson Ebokpo, the governor has approved the distribution of 30 million coffee seedlings to smallholder farmers over the plan’s duration. The first phase involves 5 million seedlings, with 4 million currently being distributed in the ongoing planting season.
However, the headline-grabbing figure came from the National President of the National Coffee and Tea Association of Nigeria (NACOFTA), Dr. Hassan Usman, who revealed the scope of the social empowerment embedded in the programme.
“His intervention of 30 million seedlings is to empower smallholder farmers. When we say smallholder farmers, we are targeting vulnerable ones. That is the women and youth,” Dr. Usman told journalists.
“We are targeting with one hectare per individual. If this has been done, I think much has been done for Cross River. We found out that about 28,000 youth and women will be involved in this scheme.”
Dr. Usman, a medical doctor turned coffee farmer, projected that the production capacity of a well-maintained one-hectare coffee farm could transform the economic fortunes of beneficiaries.
“Production capacity for coffee, if properly maintained and good agricultural practice is put in place, it could give an output of 2.5 to 3.5 tons per hectare. And that could give about 40 million naira. There is no other crop to be compared with coffee,” he said.
…Majority of Registered Farmers Are Women, Commissioner Reveals
The Commissioner disclosed that the state government, with support from the Office of the First Lady of Cross River, conducted a comprehensive farmer enumeration ahead of the seedling distribution. The exercise revealed a significant gender tilt.
“Her Excellency supported us to carry out coffee advocacy for women,” Mr. Ebokpo said. “If you go through the enumeration list, you will see that the majority of the farmers for coffee across the state are women.”
He noted that this pattern mirrors coffee-producing countries such as Kenya, Ethiopia, Uganda, Ivory Coast, and Cameroon, where women dominate farm-gate production.
The Commissioner also commended the hard work of Cross River youth, a sentiment echoed by Dr. Usman, who recalled his time working with rural communities in Ochoa and Waterfall.
“Cross River youth are different from other youth. I witnessed it. I was in Takpara, I was in Ochoa, I was in Waterfall, other areas. For all one year, we were there with them in the villages. They are hardworking. Let us give them the support needed,” Dr. Usman said.
“If this empowerment happens, in the next three years, none of them will even take office work. Nobody will come. Because the money is there with them.”
...Institution-Building to Support Smallholder Farmers
The coffee initiative is anchored on a five-pillar roadmap covering institutions, production, post-production, marketing, access to finance, and sustainability. The Commissioner emphasized that coffee farming cannot succeed in isolation and requires collaboration across multiple agencies.
Key institutional measures underway include:
– A bill to establish the Cross River State Coffee Improvement Agency, currently before the State House of Assembly.
– An amendment to the Cross River State Produce Law, also pending legislative approval.
– Plans to set up a Coffee Commodity Exchange to aggregate production, reduce middlemen, and connect farmers directly to markets.
“We are not going to fix prices for anybody. But we can guarantee markets. We can connect farmers directly to markets, so that we reduce the number of middlemen, so that the farmers can have good beneficiation,” Mr. Ebokpo said.
…Historical Context and a Cautionary Warning
Dr. Usman provided historical context, noting that Nigeria—and Cross River State in particular—was a major coffee producer in the 1950s, 1960s, and 1970s. However, the industry collapsed due to poor market access and a lack of stakeholder engagement.
“Initially, Nigeria was one of the nations that produced coffee. But because of the poor market, it disappeared. The farmers cut down all the trees when there was no market,” he recalled.
He warned that without sustained collaboration between government, traders, processors, marketers, and farmers, the current revolution could suffer the same fate.
He also announced that Cross River State has formally registered with NACOFTA as a coffee-producing state, and urged all stakeholders to formalize their membership.
“Whoever, you cannot open a football pitch in Nigeria, or organize a team, without registering with the Nigerian Football Association. So any other member, a stakeholder, that did not engage himself is just making a false claim. He can be crushed down at any time,” Dr. Usman warned.
…Support from Lindsay Global and Next Steps
The state government is being supported by Lindsay Global Coffee, a market system player in Africa within the coffee space, which is providing technical assistance.
The Commissioner noted that a knowledge exchange visit to Ghana was facilitated by the UK-funded POPCOM programme to study the Ghanaian Cocoa Board and Tree Crop Development Authority model. A similar institutional framework is being developed for Cross River.
Dr. Usman reaffirmed NACOFTA’s commitment to the state, promising a return visit within two weeks to further support the governor’s vision.
“We reassure you. In the next two weeks, NACOFTA will come back to support His Excellency in his wing in coffee and tea industry,” he said.
