Nigerian Coffee • No. 41 • Cultivation • Culture • Bunaa

Coffee was first introduced to Nigeria in the late 19th Century.
The first recorded dates of exports were in 1896.
Over the next several decades, coffee became a major cash crop for farmers throughout the country.
Although the government began to promote Robusta and Arabica coffee cultivation in the 1930s, Nigerian coffee production declines in the 21st century.
Coffee production in Nigeria has been facing a number of issues in recent years.
The amount of land allotted to coffee farming has dropped drastically, and many farms throughout the country were facing soil that has been depleted of its nutrients.
As most of the coffee farmers in Nigeria belong to older generations the skill gap to the newer generation grew.

In recent years old Nigerian coffee plantations have been rehabilitated and old coffee plants have been rejuvenated, usually by decapping the plants to a height of about 1.5 m.
New techniques were also used for the propagation of Robusta plants.
Robusta currently accounts for 90% of all coffee exports in Nigeria, growing in regions like Jos, Bauchi, Oyo, Abia, Cross River, Taraba, Ekiti, Ondo, Delta, Kwara, Ogun, Akwa Ibom, and Edo.
For this, more than 110 Arabica varieties are tested on the Mambilla Plateau to improve the coffee industry in the country.
In 2020 only 1,887 tonnes of coffee were produced.
New Nigerian coffee cultivation and fertilization methods are intended to increase yields.
Nigerian coffee has flavor notes of sweet fruit and chocolate, but with hints of floral aromas.
While Robusta is often used for instant coffee blends, a small handful of independent farmers have started to grow high-quality Arabica beans.
Also overall quality of the coffee could be improved by the introduction of the wet processing.

Coffee production and consumption are rising in Nigeria – between 2010 and 2015 by 20 %.
Unfortunately, this is due to the Nescafe products produced in the Ivory Coast. They have a market share of 37 % in the instant coffee sector.
Nestle holds more than 60 % of the market share in Nigeria.
However, since coffee is still a luxury, 75 % of the Nigerians still drink Nescafe.
A light sight: the roaster Kaldi and the Startup Cafe Neo, founded in 2012, help to build a coffee culture in Nigeria.