- By Abachi Ungbo
Sir: 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 in 2024 and is expected to reach around $381.52 billion by 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. Poor production 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 nine months of 2024.
China is on the spotlight as it continues to strive to put itself on the global coffee map as a major producer. 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.
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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.
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