A total of 82 agricultural extension officers in Cross River State have received hands-on training in modern coffee farming techniques, as part of a strategic initiative by JR Farms in partnership with the Cross River State Government to revive Nigeria’s coffee sector.
Held from July 15 to 19, 2025, across the state’s three senatorial districts, the training came just two weeks after the launch of a bold plan to cultivate 30 million coffee seedlings in the region. The project is spearheaded by JR Farms and the state government to reposition Cross River as a regional hub for coffee production under Governor Bassey Otu’s administration.
The sessions, led by Project Manager at JR Farms Group, Aduragbemi Victor Fasakin, adopted a Train-the-Trainer (ToT) model to ensure knowledge transfer from extension workers to grassroots farmers across the state. The programme combined theoretical and field-based modules, covering a wide range of topics including Arabica and Robusta cultivation, site selection, transplanting techniques, irrigation, weed and pest management, pruning, and intercropping.
Fasakin noted that participants received in-depth exposure to practical techniques such as seedling planting and de-suckering, and expressed readiness to apply the knowledge locally to boost coffee yields. He recommended setting up a follow-up system to track the impact of the training, alongside the establishment of community demonstration farms to sustain learning and peer mentoring in all local government areas.
JR Farms CEO, Olawale Rotimi-Opeyemi, described the training as the first phase of a larger commitment to providing long-term technical support for coffee farming in Cross River. He emphasized that the initiative is not just about cultivating coffee, but about building a self-sustaining knowledge network.
“We’re equipping these officers to become multipliers of knowledge, aligning with the state government’s vision to make Cross River a coffee-producing powerhouse in West Africa,” he said.
