Nigeria can earn huge foreign exchange from coffee – farmers

Farmers under the aegis of National Coffee and Tea Association of Nigeria (NACOFTAN) say Nigeria will begin to earn huge foreign exchange from coffee as they are reviving production through improved seeds and seedlings from the Cocoa Research Institute of Nigeria (CRIN), Ibadan.

Salihu Imam, Oyo State chairman of the association, who spoke in Ibadan, weekend, however, said steady funding of massive production of the cash crop over the next five years was required.

Imam described coffee as an important economic tree, highly-priced in the international market and three times more valuable than cocoa.

He expressed dissatisfaction that there had been total neglect of the commodity over the years, as farmers boycotted its production due to perceived lack of buyers.

“You will see that these days, great grand coffee trees on the farms are neglected.

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“We are now resuscitating coffee through improved seeds and seedlings from CRIN, to tap into its potentials and prevent the tree from going into extinction.

“Commercial banks are currently desperately looking for coffee in very huge quantities for export, and its low local production cannot meet demands.

“So, there’s need for the country to tap into its potential by supporting the farmers adequately,” he said.

Imam noted that the association had opened up discussions with banks which showed interest and approached farmers for export of coffee beans.

He advised the banks to sponsor/finance coffee production massively, to get enough for local industries and also for export trade.

“We have many farmers as out growers for this purpose. We have also approached Nigerian Export Promotion Council (NEPC) to include coffee as one of its commodities for projection/assistance.

“The association will soon organise training programmes statewide for coffee farmers, in conjunction with CRIN and NEPC, to boost knowledge and production capacity.