By Christian Njoku

Cross River State Government says it will distribute 1 million high-yielding Arabica and Robusta coffee species to farmers at a subsidised rate of N1, 000 per seedling.

Mr Johnson Ebokpo, the Commissioner for Agriculture and Irrigation Development, said this while briefing journalists on Monday at the Ministry of Agriculture in Calabar.

The briefing was on the introduction of coffee as an economic plant to be cultivated in the state in addition to cocoa wheat and some other cash crops.

He said that the state had entered an agreement with a French Coffee Firm, JR Farms to develop and strengthen the coffee value chain.

Ebokpo said the initiative was to provide farmers access to high quality and high yielding seedlings and an opportunity to earn alternative income during the off-peak season.

He said it would also help the state to earn foreign exchange as well as create jobs for its teeming population.

“An allocation model based on elevation, climate, and soil quality was developed to ensure an equitable distribution of the seedlings across the 18 local government areas.

“This is because the Arabica species grow optimally in highland areas, while the Robusta species grow well in lowlands.

“Consequently, a team of 56 enumerators are currently being trained to profile prospective farmers and organise them into cooperatives,” Ebokpo said.

The commissioner said that enumeration exercise would commence from May 26 to June 9, adding that within the period, the enumerators would conduct a door-to-door profiling exercise.

He appealed to political stakeholders, religious and civil society organisations to mobilise local farmers to take advantage of the opportunity to get enumerated and purchase subsidised hybrid coffee seedlings. (NAN)(www.nannews.ng)

Edited by Modupe Adeloye/Chidi Opara