The Cross River government says it is targeting 30 million coffee seedlings, 10,000 hectares of plantations and 15,000 metric tonnes of annual production.

Governor Bassey Otu announced the targets on Saturday while declaring open the second Coffee Festival International Nigeria in Calabar.

He said the initiative was designed to position Cross River as West Africa’s leading coffee hub and expand Nigeria’s participation in the global coffee market.

Mr Otu, represented by the Commissioner for Agriculture and Irrigation Development, Johnson Ebokpo, identified the state’s agroecological advantages as critical to achieving the ambition.

He said Cross River’s four agroecological zones, favourable rainfall and arable land offered enormous opportunities for commercial coffee cultivation.

According to him, about 90 per cent of the state’s arable land is lowland, making it suitable for Robusta coffee.

He added that the state’s highlands provide favourable conditions for cultivating Arabica, creating opportunities to produce different coffee varieties.

The governor said his administration had developed a 2025–2032 Coffee Development Roadmap and launched the Coffee Revolution Programme in July 2025.

He said more than 800,000 subsidised Arabica and Robusta seedlings had been distributed, along with training for over 700 farmers and extension workers.

Mr Otu also announced a partnership to establish 6,000 hectares of coffee plantations across Odukpani, Akamkpa and Akpabuyo Local Government Areas.

He said the government had introduced agricultural traceability systems, strengthened regulatory frameworks and sent a delegation to Uganda to study its coffee industry.

The administration, he added, planned to train young people in barista services and other downstream coffee operations to create employment.

The second edition of the festival began on Friday and ends on Sunday, with the theme, ‘Sustainability: Building the Future of Coffee in Nigeria’.

Blessing Tangtur, Chief Executive Officer of Lingzhi Global and festival originator, called for stronger government-private sector partnerships to accelerate coffee production.

She said collaboration was essential to promoting cultivation, consumption and investment across Nigeria’s coffee value chain.

According to her, Nigeria’s coffee consumption has increased from about two million to 12 million, attributing the growth to awareness and promotional activities.

Ms Tangtur also disclosed that more than five million coffee seedlings had been distributed to farmers in Cross River.

She expressed optimism that the distribution would strengthen production, stimulate investment and create employment opportunities.

Hassan Kakara, President of the National Coffee and Tea Association of Nigeria (NACOFTAN), called for stronger industry coordination.

He warned that poor leadership, weak cooperative structures and inadequate market opportunities had contributed to declining coffee production.

(NAN)