Ondo State Governor Lucky Orimisan Aiyedatiwa has flagged off the revival of coffee production in the state with the establishment of 1,000 hectares of coffee farms, targeting a return to Nigeria’s coffee export market.
Speaking at the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry while declaring open a 2-day sensitisation and training on coffee production and value chain development — held in collaboration with Lingzhi Global Nigeria Limited and the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security — the governor described the ceremony as “historic,” saying the project will strengthen the coffee value chain and create thousands of jobs for the people of the state.
Gov. Aiyedatiwa, who was represented by the Commissioner for Agriculture and Forestry, Engr. Leye Akinola, noted that Ondo was once a leading contributor to Nigeria’s coffee output, producing premium Robusta coffee for export.
“Regrettably, policy somersaults, ageing plantations, and years of neglect precipitated a steady decline. Today, we are drawing a firm line in the sand — that decline stops here,” he said.
The governor stressed that Nigeria cannot continue to rely solely on oil. “Agriculture remains our most viable pathway to shared prosperity. Coffee, with a global market valued at over $460 billion, presents Ondo State with a golden opportunity,” he added.
He said the 1,000-hectare project will directly engage over 2,000 farmers and generate additional jobs in seedling nurseries, cultivation, processing, packaging, and export.
“A well-managed hectare can yield between 1.5 to 2 tonnes,” Aiyedatiwa stated, citing expert data. He said the state is moving beyond raw produce exports through a partnership with Lingzhi Global Nigeria Limited to build capacity for roasting, branding, and packaging “Made-in-Ondo” coffee for premium global markets.
He outlined his administration’s commitments to support and attract investors, including: providing land for credible investors and cooperatives; deploying extension officers for technical support from nursery to harvest; constructing access roads to coffee clusters to cut post-harvest losses; and guaranteeing off-take through NCTAN and Lingzhi Global Nigeria Limited.
“No farmer in Ondo State will cultivate coffee without a ready and reliable market,” he said.
The governor noted that highland communities in Akure North, Idanre, Ifedore, and the Akoko axis have the ideal altitude, rainfall, and soil for coffee. He therefore called on traditional rulers to sensitize their people and facilitate land access for the project, while urging youths to see agriculture as a noble and profitable venture and a frontier of wealth creation.
“Coffee farming is smart business. With these 1,000 hectares, we are unlocking thousands of opportunities for enterprise,” he said.
He commended the National Coffee and Tea Association of Nigeria, Ondo State Chapter, and Lingzhi Global Nigeria Limited for the initiative, saying it aligns with his administration’s “OUR EASE” Development Policy Thrust.
“Today, we plant more than seedlings; we plant hope. We plant prosperity. Ondo State has reclaimed its rightful place on the national coffee map,” he said.
Earlier, the Permanent Secretary, Agriculture sub-sector, Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry, Mrs. Foluke Tunde-Daramola, welcomed the team to Ondo State. She stressed that the state government, through the ministry, would deploy personnel to support the project and ensure it achieves its goal of making Ondo a coffee-producing state.
In her remarks, the CEO of Lingzhi Global Nigeria Limited, Mrs. Blessing Nanman Tangtur, said the company focuses on the importation and exportation of coffee, tea, and chocolate. It currently operates in 21 states across Nigeria and 14 African countries.
Mrs. Tangtur added that the company came to Ondo State to train coffee farmers, assess the state’s climate suitability for coffee cultivation, and mobilize raw materials to begin coffee production.
She stressed that the company would ensure farmers are adequately trained in best practices across the entire coffee value chain. According to her, the farmers are highly willing and have shown strong interest in production. “Coffee production requires technical expertise, and we are ready to provide all necessary support,” she said.
In a goodwill message, the Chairman of the Ondo State Chapter of the National Coffee and Tea Association of Nigeria (NACOFTAN), Prince Ayodele Akinwumi, said the project in Akoko North-West LGA marks the start of a plan to position Ondo as Nigeria’s coffee capital. He thanked Governor Lucky Aiyedatiwa for “creating an enabling environment where agriculture can thrive beyond oil,” noting that the governor’s representative at the event showed the state’s coffee vision “remains a priority.”
“Ondo State is blessed with soil, rainfall, and people. What we have lacked is scale, structure, and standards. This seminar begins to fix all three,” he said.
He also appreciated the Minister of Agriculture and Food Security for federal policies on tree crops and EUDR compliance, which he described as “the federal backbone for what we flag off today.”
Prince Akinwumi said Nigeria produced less than 0.02% of the 178 million bags of coffee consumed globally last year, despite the country’s Robusta variety being “prized for its strong body and low acidity.”
“Akoko North-West, with its elevation and climate, can compete with Vietnam and Uganda,” he said.
Beyond the 1,000 hectares being flagged off, he disclosed that over 10,000 hectares of suitable land for coffee have already been identified and mapped across Akoko, Owo, Idanre, Ore, and Ifedore corridors.
“To our banks, to NEXIM, to global offtakers: the land is available, the farmers are willing, and the EUDR compliance framework is in place. We invite you to grow with us,” Akinwumi stated.
The seminar will focus on EUDR compliance, GPS mapping of plots, and soil tests from the Cocoa Research Institute of Nigeria (CRIN). “The difference between poverty and prosperity is now a GPS coordinate and a soil test,” Akinwumi told farmers.
He commended Lingzhi Global Nigeria Limited for co-investing in the project and acknowledged the Global President of COCEFAAA, NACOFTAN’s National President, and CRIN for providing “clones, soil data, and EUDR protocols” that form the foundation of deforestation-free coffee. “Without CRIN, we plant blind,” he said.
Goodwill messages were received from the Minister of Agriculture and Food Security, Senator Abubakar Kyari; the National President of the Coffee and Tea Association of Nigeria, Dr. Hassan Usman; and other stakeholders in the coffee industry.
Sola Omoboyowa,
Head, Publicity and Media Relations,
Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry.