The Hindu Business Line : Centre for encouraging organic coffee cultivation in Araku valley

Visakhapatnam April 1 The Coffee Board will extend all assistance to double the coffee cultivation area (75,000 acres) in the Araku Valley of Visakhapatnam district in the next five years and the output (currently 4,000 tonnes) will also be doubled, according to the Union Minister of State for Commerce, Mr Jairam Ramesh.

At a press meet here after touring the Paderu-Araku area in the district, the Minister said the Coffee Board had identified the tribal belt of Araku as one of the most important non-traditional coffee-growing areas in the country.

"For two reasons, the area is very important.

"The crop is important from a socio-economic point of view, as it is giving sustenance to tribals in the eastern ghats and second, the coffee grown in the area is organic, which has great demand abroad.

"Therefore, though the output is small, we have decided to encourage coffee cultivation in the area," he said.

"At present, 60,000 families are dependent on the crop in the area and the number will also be doubled in the next five years," he said.

He said the Coffee Board would set up coffee pulpers in 11 mandals where coffee was currently being grown.

Baby pulpers were currently being given to each tribal family, but now processing facilities would be set up.

He said the Paderu Integrated Tribal Development Agency and the Coffee Board would jointly bear the cost of the crop expansion project.

On marketing, he said the Coffee Board would only look after the production and processing of coffee and private companies would be involved in marketing and brand promotion.

"Already, companies such as ITC have entered the field in a small way and, as the area expands, more companies will join the market. In a few years, Araku organic coffee will be as famous as Darjeeling tea," he said.