The Cross River State government, in partnership with multinational agribusiness company JR Farms, has launched an initiative to cultivate 30 million coffee seedlings across the state.

The project, flagged off in Calabar, aims to revive and expand coffee production in Nigeria, positioning Cross River as the country’s coffee capital and a major player in the international coffee market.

Speaking at the ceremony, Governor Bassey Edet Otu described the initiative as a strategic move to create jobs, generate wealth, and promote agro-industrial development.

“With 30 million robust and climate-appropriate seedlings being distributed across our 18 local government areas, this project offers much more than cultivation,” Otu said.

The governor commended farmers, women, youth, and traditional institutions for embracing the project, expressing confidence that it would flourish.

He emphasised that the initiative reflects his administration’s commitment to diversifying the state’s economy, fighting rural poverty, and creating a more inclusive and sustainable agricultural ecosystem.

JR Farms CEO, 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.

He commended the Cross River state government’s commitment to agricultural development, saying 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.

Rotimi-Opeyemi disclosed that his company would deploy its extensive wealth of experience in coffee production and global marketing to ensure the long-term success of the project.

He outlined plans for technical support, including training for farmers across the state using the Train-the-Trainer approach, and establishing a 3-way line of communication between JR Farms, the State Ministry of Agriculture and Irrigation Development, and the farmers.

“Additionally, JR Farms would establish coffee washing stations in different parts of the state, provide further training on harvesting, sorting, washing, fermenting, and drying, and develop an implementable framework to access the global market.

“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.

Rotimi-Opeyemi also appreciated the French Embassy in Nigeria for its continued support toward coffee production in Nigeria, disclosing that the Embassy was working with his firm to secure a coffee roasting machine for Nigeria.

Cross River Commissioner for Agriculture and Irrigation Development, Hon. Johnson Ebokpo, said the project would not only boost coffee production but also create wealth for farmers, attract sustainable investment, and promote fair trade and ethical practices.

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.”