Cross River State has flagged off a major agro-initiative to cultivate 30 million coffee seedlings across its 18 local government areas, positioning the state as Nigeria's coffee capital and a future player in global markets. The initiative is a partnership between the state government and multinational agribusiness firm, JR Farms.
Governor Bassey Otu described the project as a strategic economic move to create jobs, boost rural livelihoods, and reposition agriculture as a core economic driver. "This initiative is more than planting coffee—it's about generating wealth, empowering communities, and reviving our ecological balance," he said.
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JR Farms CEO, Olawale Rotimi-Opeyemi, shared that the project draws from the company's success across East Africa and Europe. Over 11,000 farmers have already been onboarded, with training set to begin under a Train-the-Trainer model covering agronomy and ethical practices.
To ensure sustainability, JR Farms plans to set up coffee washing stations and provide farmers with technical and post-harvest support. The firm will also develop a market access framework and commit to off-taking produce to serve the global demand for premium coffee.
The project also has the backing of the French Embassy, which is supporting local value addition efforts, including plans to secure a coffee roasting machine for Nigeria.
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