The Hindu Business Line : Coffee processing unit opened in Vizag dist

Visakhapatnam, Dec 21 The coffee-growing area in the tribal tracts of Visakhapatnam district will be doubled in the next five years, benefiting 1.2 lakh tribal families, Mr Jairam Ramesh, Union Minister of State for Commerce, has said.

He was speaking at Turaiguda village in the Araku valley in the district on Friday, after inaugurating a coffee processing unit set up by the Naandi Foundation and the Coffee Growers’ Society.

He said that two more units would be set up soon in the agency area of the district and ultimately, all the 11 coffee-growing mandals would each have a processing unit.

He announced sanction of Rs 1 crore for the two units out of the funds provided to him as a Member of Parliament.

Tripartite pact

Mr Ramesh said coffee and intercrops such as pepper would bring cheer to the lives of tribals in the area and at present, 60,000 tribal families were dependent on the crop.

“The challenge is to promote Araku coffee as organic coffee in the international market.

“The Coffee Board, the Integrated Tribal Development Agency (ITDA) and the Naandi Foundation will have to work together to achieve the objective.

“I shall visit Vizag again on January 2 to sign a tripartite agreement,” he said.

“He said the Coffee Board would spend Rs 40 crore for promotion of the crop and the State Government Rs 36 crore in the next five years.

The board would provide the technical assistance, the Naandi Foundation the marketing facilities and the ITDA would look after area expansion, he added.

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