Cross River Strengthens Partnership to Boost Coffee Production, Export
By Ekanem ASUQUO
The Cross River State Government has reaffirmed its commitment to deepening partnerships with key stakeholders to transform the agricultural sector and expand export opportunities, leveraging the state’s strategic location and access to international markets.
The State Commissioner for Agriculture and Irrigation, Dr. Johnson Ebokpo, made this known while declaring open a one-day Coffee Stakeholders Investment Forum in Calabar. The event was aimed at promoting sustainable coffee production, attracting investment, and developing the coffee export value chain.
Organized by the Nigerian Export Promotion Council (NEPC) Cross River State Coordination Office in collaboration with the Raw Materials Research and Development Council (RMRDC), the forum was themed “Coffee Value Chain Development: A Focus on Sustainability and Economic Diversification.”
According to the organisers, the event also sought to equip local farmers with innovative ideas to boost commercial farming and strengthen both local and export markets.
Dr. Ebokpo described the initiative as timely and consistent with Governor Bassey Otu’s agricultural transformation agenda, which is focused on achieving food security and improving foreign exchange earnings through agricultural exports. He disclosed that the state government has distributed over 100,000 coffee seedlings to farmers in the Northern and Central Senatorial Districts as part of efforts to revive coffee cultivation and establish coffee estates through public-private partnerships.
In his welcome remarks, the NEPC State Coordinator, Dr. Osas Omorogbe, said the forum was in line with the Council’s mandate to promote non-oil exports and position Cross River as a major hub for coffee production and export in Nigeria. He added that the event provided a platform for stakeholders to share experiences, explore investment opportunities, and strengthen linkages within the coffee value chain.
Representing the Executive Director of NEPC, the Regional Coordinator for the South-South, Arc. Benedict Itegbe, in a keynote address delivered by Mrs. Sussan Sewuese Agu, underscored the importance of adding value to coffee production and encouraging local consumption. He urged investors to explore emerging opportunities in coffee tourism, coffee-based skincare products, and coffee equipment manufacturing as part of efforts to diversify the economy.
Also speaking, the Commissioner for Commerce, Dr. Abigail Orok Duke, reiterated the state government’s resolve to provide enabling policies and incentives that would attract more investors to the sector. She recalled that coffee was identified as a priority product during the State Committee on Export Promotion meeting and later adopted under the One State One Product (OSOP) initiative. She assured participants that Cross River remains open for sustainable investment in the coffee industry.
The Overseeing Director of RMRDC, Dr. Obi Edith, who represented the Director-General, called for stronger collaboration among stakeholders to enhance value addition and address the challenges confronting coffee production in the country.
The technical session featured presentations by experts including Ayodele Oladipo Akinpele of the Cocoa Research Institute of Nigeria (CRIN), Prof. Susan Ohen, Dr. Assaim Assaim, and Dr. Osas’ Damian Omorogbe. The papers covered topics such as sustainable agricultural practices, institutional roles in value chain development, investment prospects from seed to export, and risk management for coffee investors.
Goodwill messages from the National Productivity Centre, the Cross River Basin Development Authority, and the Calabar Chamber of Commerce, Industry, Mines and Agriculture (CALCCIMA) commended the organisers for the initiative and called for continued collaboration to strengthen coffee production and export in the state.
The forum attracted more than 100 participants drawn from federal and state ministries, private sector organisations, research institutions, and export associations.
