Exclusive GI Tag For Odisha’s Koraput Coffee!

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Bhubaneswar: The Tribal Development Co-operative Corporation of Odisha Ltd (TDCCOL) has initiated the process of securing an exclusive geographical indication (GI) for Koraput coffee.

Currently, the Koraput variety is included in the GI for Araku coffee of Andhra Pradesh.

The managing director of TDCCOL Mansi Nimbhal said that after considering the current market presence of Koraput coffee, it has become essential to have its own GI certification.

The Coffee Board of India under the Ministry of Commerce and Industry secured the tag on March 1, 2019, for ‘Araku Valley Arabica’ which includes Odisha’s coffee.

The board claimed that the coffee is grown under the same elevation (3,000 to 5,300 feet above sea level), soil, and climatic conditions in both Andhra Pradesh and parts of Odisha – a majority in Koraput besides, Kandhamal, Rayagada, Keonjhar, Gajapati, and Kalahandi.

The corporation has informed the Coffee Board about a separate GI for Odisha’s coffee. “Since the Koraput coffee is already under a geographical indication, we are working towards establishing its uniqueness as compared to that grown in the Araku valley,” TNIE reported Nimbhal as saying.

In the coffee map of India, Koraput is a non-traditional coffee-growing area. Currently, Arabica coffee is grown in the district’s district’s Koraput, Nandapur, Semiliguda, Pottangi, Dasmantpur, Lamtaput, and Laxmipur blocks.