AP to promote Araku coffee in a big way : CM

The organic coffee being grown in the picturesque Araku valley in the eastern ghats of Visakhapatnam district will be promoted in the domestic and international markets by the AP Government in a big way and coffee cultivation will transform the lives of Girijans in the area, Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu has promised.

He made the promise at a public meeting on Tuesday in the Araku valley on the occasion of the International Day of the World's Indigenous People, after visiting Pedalabudu tribal village in the Araku valley which he has adopted. "I have adopted the village in Araku to set an example for others so that the remote villages in your area get a big boost," he told the audience.

He said the Girijans in the Araku valley were growing coffee without using fertilisers and pesticides and "the organic coffee is in great demand. Even Prime Minister Narendra Modi expressed his appreciation of the coffee earlier this year when he visited Visakhapatnam. We have drawn up plans to promote coffee cultivation in an additional one lakh acres in the valley at a cost of ₹ 530 crores. It will boost the income levels of Girijans."

Tourism promotion

Describing Araku valley as the most beautiful one in the State and the country, he said tourism would be promoted in the area and also promised to set up more schools and colleges and to improve medical facilities. He said the resources in the Araku valley should be made use of for the welfare of Girijans and the fruits of development should reach them.

sarma.rs@thehindu.co.in

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