In his bid to diversify the economy while giving a boost to the agricultural sector, Cross River governor, Prince Bassey Otu, has directed all 18 local government areas in the state, to go into the cultivation of cash crops that would serve for export.
Otu stated this during a Coffee Estate Development Roundtable Conversation, held at the Metropolitan Hotel in Calabar, the Cross River capital.
The governor who spoke through the Commissioner for Agriculture and Irrigation Development, Hon Johnson Ebokpo, noted that the directive was imperative as the state must take advantage of its comparative advantage as a unique destination in the country, where varieties of coffee can be grown.
“Every local government must be able to have a cash crop, an export crop, as nobody would be left behind, we don’t want to work in isolation hence the local government areas are key drivers of most of these initiatives.
“While some will be doing cocoa, others would be doing coffee. Some will also have the ability to do cocoa and coffee because of the amount of land the local government area has,” he said.
On ways to broaden the knowledge of key stakeholders on coffee production, the governor explained that, “it is our desire that hopefully within the year, we will be able to embark on study tour to either Brazil or Kenya for the affected local government areas that would be participating in the coffee program.”
He further noted that “this, would enable them to see the entire market system from cultivation to marketing and export, in order to broaden their knowledge on the coffee ecosystem.”
For the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Agriculture and Irrigation Development who doubles as the Secretary of the Strategic plan committee, Ntufam Ekpe Bassey, the committee has come up with so many ideas as all local government areas must get involved in the cultivation of coffee.
“Chairmen are primarily invited to provide lands as these would help reduce poverty among the people and to achieve that, we ought to also ensure that the lands are cultivated by the natives for us, under the smallholders scheme.
“You may not have 5000 hectares, 50 or even five hectares of land is enough,” Bassey said, adding that, “the interest of the people to buy in has really gladden my heart as many are interested in the cultivation.”
State Coordinator, Nigerian Export Promotion Council, Dr. Osas Damian, argued that since coffee is export oriented, his council would support the path so taken.
Chairman of Yakurr local government area who is also the Chairman of all local government chairmen in the state, Hon. Yiballa Inyang, applauded the Cross River governor, Prince Bassey Otu, and the Agriculture and Irrigation Development Commissioner, Hon. Johnson Ebokpo, for the initiative, promising that the various local government areas in the state would key in to the directive, to ensure food security.
His words: “For us in the rural communities, it is an opportunity for our people to embrace agriculture, though we grow other casual crops like cassava, yam and the rest, but this singular opportunity would help us improve our agriculture sector, so we would partner with you towards the cultivation of coffee across the state.”
In his presentation, Chairman, National Association for coffee and tea, Dr. Assam Assam, maintained that the expected outcome of coffee estates development program would see to the training and assisting of communities establishing and managing modern coffee business including the triggering proliferation of different plantation businesses within the local government areas.
Continuing, he added that it would yield massive revenue generation as well as inflow of foreign exchange, when finally actualized.
For the Vice chairman Strategic committee, Prof Damian Agom, coffee bean is rich in caffeine which is used to produce one of the world’s most consumed beverages, explaining that, beyond beverages, coffee extracts are utilized in pharmaceutical, cosmetics and dietary supplements which also offer vast market opportunities.
Agom who affirmed that coffee can thrive in 12 local government areas of the State, said part of the strategic pillars and priorities of coffee includes creating access to extension services, research and development.
He remarked that it would set up an institutional framework for sustainability and traceability of the coffee sector, among others.
Others who spoke including the Surveyor General of the State, Surveyor Patrick Bassey, representatives of financial institutions including the DG Bureau of Public Private Partnership in the state, reasoned that agriculture remains the first line on Cross River’s path to posterity, hence the need to properly key in, in order to ensure the actualization of the initiative as put in place by the governor, Prince Bassey Otu, through his People First Mantra.