Securing the Future of Nigeria’s Coffee Industry -By Abachi Ungbo

Nigeria is no stranger to coffee. It was a prominent income generating crop in the country since its introduction in the 19thcentury but, that never resulted into the overwhelming acquisition of coffee taste/ drinking culture or placed the country on the global coffee stage.

A huge spike in production was recorded in the mid to late 1950’s but it peaked between 1960’s and 70’s before it tapered off. Since then, achieving past outstanding production records has remained a tall order. The fate of coffee is no different from those of other crops that were supplanted as a result of the discovery of oil.

The poor production streak has consigned the country to the foot of the ladder of producers in Africa despite its huge potential. The poor production can be conveniently instantiated by the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) report of zero coffee export in the first 9 months of 2024.

Nigeria must prime itself to cash in on the vista of opportunities in global coffee industry. Instructively, Precedence Research- a market research company reported that the global coffee market size was worth about 245.2 billion Dollars in 2024 and is expected to reach around 381.52 billion Dollars by 2034, growing at a CAGR OF 4.51% from 2024 to 2034. Coffee potential can be unlocked to transition the country from a fringe producer to a coffee production hub that will generate stupendous wealth, create jobs and expand non- oil export sources. Essentially, boosting local production is an open sesame to improving local consumption and prices.

The consumption of coffee in Nigeria remains promising. However, instant coffee which is believed to be product of low quality coffee has been the primary staple of the preponderance of the population. Intriguingly, there’s an uptick of café and coffee shops which offer premium quality coffee to satisfy sophisticated coffee drinkers as well as enthusiasts. The coffee consumed is almost entirely imported which speaks to the huge production deficits and poor quality. The lack of preparedness cost the country huge windfall occasioned by the mammoth effect of climate change on major producers in 2024 which drove prices through the roof.

Nigeria possesses the main varieties – Robusta and Arabica and a total of 14 states are host to the varieties. The former is found in 12 states of the federation while two states are home to the latter basically in the Mambilla Plateau in Taraba state and the Obudu area of Cross river state. Regrettably, according to Centre for Agricultural and Biosciences International (CABI) “of the total hectarage put to coffee originally in Nigeria only about 20% is currently effective. It further stated that “most of the farmers are small farmers having between 0-4 hectares of land.”

China is on the spotlight as it continues to strive to put itself on the global coffee map as a major producer. It is providing an exemplary template for Nigeria on coffee production with its activities on the Yunnan province in the south west of the country which possesses natural conditions for coffee. It is interesting for a tea loving nation to be making great strides in coffee. Though, like Nigeria, it has a long history with coffee.

The Yunnan Coffee Association reported that over 95% of the country’s coffee production is from the province. In 2024, Yunnan province exported 32,500 tonnes of coffee which represented a year-in-year increase of 358%. Though, still at the fringes of global coffee production, China has deliberately taken big steps to boost production and quality. It has designated the crop as a priority in its rural revitalization plan for Yunnan basically providing key conditions for the development of coffee through increasing expertise and investment.

A glimmer of hope for Nigeria coffee industry still subsists with the presence of a host of active entrepreneurs and businesses working along the value chain also is the burgeoning taste for coffee. But then quite a lot needs to be done in making the industry productive.

A potpourri of deep seated challenges have been identified which requires a lot of deep thinking, planning and implementation of strategies to circumvent. There’s no one silver bullet to all the problems around coffee development. However, at the heart of the solution is government involvement in the area of investment and support in rural infrastructural improvement, rehabilitating of ageing trees, improving technology for improved productivity and processing to increase quality and market value, improving extension services and increasing the funding of research.

Coffee producers need to possess requisite skills and technical know-how in the cultivation and production of high quality beans and to improve output. Also, there’s a need for strong advocacy for the farmers who are not heard and barely get value for the precious little they produce or grow which constituted a disincentive.

With a strong political will, the establishment of the National Tea and Coffee development Council will decidedly be a game-changer. It will provide the framework for production, commercialization/marketing and consumption of tea and coffee in Nigeria alongside the provision of technical, managerial and requisite extension services. It is basically time for the Nigeria specialty to be heard. Securing the future of the coffee industry will require bold and decisive action.

Abachi Ungbo

abachi007@yahoo.com