Cross River Launches Seven-Year Coffee Development Plan

The Cross River State Government, led by Governor Bassey Otu, has unveiled a seven-year coffee development roadmap designed to diversify the state's economy and enhance non-oil exports. Announced on Monday during a press briefing in Calabar by Johnson Ebokpo, the initiative aims to create thousands of jobs through large-scale coffee production.

The roadmap, tagged "Coffee Revolution," will span from 2024 to 2032 and is intended to complement the state's cocoa industry, positioning Cross River as a major coffee production hub in Nigeria and Africa. The plan includes the distribution of 30 million coffee seedlings to smallholder farmers, covering 27,000 hectares of farmland, with a focus on empowering women and youth.

The first phase of the project is set to begin in 2025, with the current planting season allowing for the distribution of four million seedlings. The initiative is built around key pillars such as institutional reform, product management, market access, and financing.

The local government councils will play a critical role in establishing community wash and dry stations to preserve coffee quality.