Coffee and pepper cultivation, encouraged in the agency area of Visakhapatnam district (the tribal tracts of Eastern Ghats), has suffered a huge blow as cyclone Hudhud destroyed large stretches of the plantations. The State Government and the Coffee Board are jointly encouraging coffee cultivation in the non-conventional areas of Paderu and Araku in Visakhapatnam district as a good source of income to Girijans.

Pepper, grown as an inter crop, was also badly damaged.

Of the total of 3,400 hectares of Arabica coffee plantation under the AP Forest Development Corporation (APSFC) in the area, the crop in 174 hectares was completely wiped out and the crop in the rest of the area also suffered heavy damage. It is estimated that more than 65,000 silver oak trees, grown to give shade to the coffee plantation, were also uprooted. The State Government announced Rs 25,000 compensation per acre to the Girijan farmers.

APFDC regional manager A.N Gurumurthy said nearly 1.5 lakh Girijan families were dependent on coffee plantations in the area. "Coffee has held out great hope for them. It has improved their living conditions. Now the cyclone has dealt a cruel blow. It will take at least three years for the coffee plantations to come to the seeding stage and pepper takes more time. We have to start afresh," he said.

>sarma.rs@thehindu.co.in

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