Senate Passes Bill To Establish Council For Tea And Coffee Development

The Senate on Tuesday passed a bill seeking to establish the National Council for Tea and Coffee Development.

The passage of the bill tagged, “Nigerian Tea and Coffee Development Council (Establishment) Bill, 2022”, followed the consideration of a report by the Committee on Agriculture and Rural Development.

Chairman of the Committee, Senator Abdullahi Adamu (Nasarawa West), in his presentation, said the Council when established would be saddled with the responsibilities of developing and promoting the growth, production, processing and marketing of tea and coffee in Nigeria.

According to him, the establishment of the Council would facilitate the generation of foreign exchange for the country, so as to reduce over-dependence on the exportation of crude oil as the mainstay of Nigeria’s source of revenue.

He explained that tea and coffee are the most widely consumed beverages around the world. Citing a report by Euro Monitor International, Adamu stated that Nigerians drank more than 1000 tones of coffee in 2020.

He added that another report by Fitch Solutions showed that overall consumer coffee spending for Nigeria was set to hit $286.8 million (N177.6 billion) in 2023 while listing Nigeria as one of the five coffee markets to watch.

Adamu explained further that the National Council for Tea and Coffee Development would, among others, provide the technical, managerial and horticultural extension services as catalysts for tea and coffee growth and development in Nigeria.

The lawmaker said that the passage of the bill by the upper chamber would be a “bold-step” towards revamping the tea and coffee business in Nigerian, while at the same time creating employment for the youths.