Commissioner for Agriculture and Irrigation Development, Hon. Johnsen A. Ebokpo (KSM).
By Anietie Akpan
Cross River State Government has entered into a collaborative agreement with a French Coffee Firm called JR farms to develop and strengthen her coffee value chain.
It is on this note that the State Government, through the Ministry of Agriculture and Irrigation Development, is distributing 1 million high-yielding Arabica and Robusta coffee species at a subsidized rate of N1,000 per seedling. .
A statement by the Commissioner for Agriculture and Irrigation Development, Hon. Johnsen A. Ebokpo said already, a team of 56 enumerators are currently being trained to profile prospective farmers and organize them into cooperatives.
The statement said, the enumeration exercise will commence from the May 26 to June 9, 2025 and during this period, “the enumerators will conduct a door-to-door profiling exercise”.
The initiative according to Ebokpo “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 according to him, 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, he said.
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 leaders 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”, he added.
The Commissioner therefore appealed to the general public to “get involved and harness this unique opportunity for our general shared prosperity”.
