By Kelvin Obambon
Cross River government, through the Ministry of Agriculture and Irrigation Development, will commence statewide distribution of 1million high-yielding coffee seedlings to farmers.
This was made known in a release signed by the Commissioner for Agriculture and Irrigation Development, Hon. Johnson Andiambey Ebokpo, and made available to The Paradise News on Saturday.
According to the Commissioner, the distribution of the seedlings is part of a concerted effort to boost the coffee industry in the state, necessitating the Government to enter into a collaborative agreement with a French coffee firm called JR Farms to develop and strengthen the coffee value chain.
“It is on this note that the CRS Government, through the Ministry of Agriculture and Irrigation Development, is distributing 1million high-yielding Arabica and Robusta coffee species at a subsidized rate of N1,000 per seedling.
“The initiative is to provide farmers with access to high quality seedlings that are high yielding. It also provides an opportunity for farmers to earn alternative income during the off-peak season. This will also help the state to earn foreign exchange as well as create jobs for our teeming population.
“An allocation model based on elevation, climate factors, and soil quality was developed to ensure an equitable distribution of the seedlings across the 18 LGAs.
“The Arabica specie grows optimally in highland areas, while the Robusta specie grows well in lowland areas.
“Consequently, a team of 56 enumerators are currently being trained to profile prospective farmers and organize them into cooperatives. The enumeration exercise will commence from the 26th of May 2025 to the 9% of June, 2025. During this period, the enumerators will conduct a door-to-door profiling exercise. Therefore, we appeal to the National and State House of Assembly members, Commissioners, Local Government Chairmen, other State-and Local Government appointees, ward Councillors, political and religious lecders including civil society organizations to mobilize their respective local farmers to take advantage of this unique opportunity to get enumerated and purchase subsidized hybrid coffee seedlings.
“To this end, we therefore appeal to the general public to get involved and harness this unique opportunity for our general shared prosperity,” he said.