By Frank Ulom
The Cross River State Government has announced a statewide training programme for coffee farmers and stakeholders as part of efforts to strengthen the state’s coffee value chain and promote sustainable agricultural development.
The training, organised through the Ministry of Agriculture and Irrigation Development, is scheduled to take place across the state’s three senatorial districts between June 23 and June 27, 2026.
According to a statement signed by the Commissioner for Agriculture and Irrigation Development, Hon. Johnson Andiambey Ebokpo, the programme is open to coffee farmers who paid for the 2025 training batch, farmers who have made payments for the 2026 batch, prospective coffee farmers, state and local government agricultural and extension officers, as well as other stakeholders in the coffee value chain.
The ministry said the training is designed to equip participants with practical knowledge and modern agronomic skills required for successful coffee cultivation, improved productivity, and sustainable management of coffee plantations.
Under the schedule released by the ministry, participants from the Northern Senatorial District will be trained at Bekwarra Council Hall on Tuesday, June 23. The Central Senatorial District training will hold at Ikom Council Hall on Thursday, June 25, while the Southern Senatorial District session is scheduled for Saturday, June 27 at the Calabar Municipal Council Hall.
All training sessions will commence at 10:00 a.m.
The state government described coffee as a premium global export crop with significant potential to drive wealth creation, create employment opportunities, boost foreign exchange earnings, and contribute to sustainable economic growth.
It urged eligible participants and interested stakeholders to take advantage of the programme, describing it as part of Governor Bassey Edet Otu’s drive to revive coffee production and position Cross River as a leading coffee-producing state in Nigeria.
The government added that the initiative forms part of its broader agricultural transformation agenda aimed at improving livelihoods, expanding commercial agriculture, and unlocking the economic opportunities within the coffee value chain.