The Hindu Business Line : Coffee Board, ITDA plan to boost Araku brand

In line with `Darjeeling tea', `Araku Valley' Coffee, grown in the tribal areas of Visakhapatnam, is all set to be put on the priority list to be promoted as a brand.

A Rs 140-crore project is being taken up by the Coffee Board to expand the area under the coffee plantation by another 60,000 acres in the Araku region, according to the Union Minister of State for Commerce, Mr Jairam Ramesh.

The Coffee Board and the Integrated Tribal Development Authority (ITDA), are firming up plans to sign a memorandum of understanding (MoU) for the project on May 26, he said at a meeting here on Sunday.

Of the Rs 140 crore, 50 per cent would be `Shram Dhan' component, while the State Government and the Coffee Board will chip in with the balance equally.

The Board and the State Forest Development Corporation have in a small way branded the `Araku Valley' coffee and put in the market. In the renewed efforts, Naandi Foundation, run with the support of major corporates like such as Dr Reddy, Satyam Computers etc. would pick up the stocks, and ITC is being roped in to market the Araku Brand.

Currently, the coffee is growing in 75,000 acres in 11 Mandals of the Visakhapatnam district.

About 60,000 families, mostly tribals are benefited.

In another development, the Minister said, the Spices Board would support an expansion programme for non-pesticide chilli in Guntur district of Andhra Pradesh, through a joint project with Indira Kranthi Pathakam.

Of the $600 million exports of Spices Board, chillies constituted 25 per cent. Of this, 75 per cent or around Rs 450 crore was from AP alone.

In the case of non-pesticide chilli, the target for 2007-08 was set at 2,000 tonnes, which would be scaled up to 75,000 tonnes in the next five years.

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