Koraput To Promote Coffee Cultivation

Bhubaneswar: The Koraput district administration is planning to promote coffee cultivation on a ‘mission mode’ as part of its efforts to improve the economic condition of farmers, an official said on Sunday.

As per a PTI report, the district authorities have recently undertaken a drive to plant coffee seeds on 20 hectares of government land at Kapsiput village in Laxmipur block of Koraput.

“The climatic condition here is conducive for coffee cultivation. If properly promoted, it can provide a sustainable source of income to the farmers. We have decided to promote coffee plantation on a mission mode among them,” Collector K Sudarshan Chakravarthy said.

A Coffee Development Trust was also formed last year and the District Collector was its head.

“We had a target of expanding areas under coffee cultivation to 46,500 hectares by 2025 from the present 1,467 hectares,” the Collector added.

According to a survey conducted by the administration, at least 1,45,170 hectares in Nandapur, Lamataput, Laxmipur, Semiliguda, Dasmantpur and Pottangi blocks of Koraput are suitable for coffee cultivation.

“There is immense potential for popularising coffee plantation in the district. We are planning to organise regular workshops and seminars to motivate farmers in this regard,” Chakravarthy was quoted in PTI.

The farmers, too, have welcomed the administration’s move to promote coffee plantation.

Chakravarthy said the district authorities will also encourage spice cultivation here.

“Along with coffee, we would promote spices and allied plantations. Once, the plantation work is over, it will be handed over to the community concerned for maintenance and harvesting. Recently, black pepper was planted on eight hectares in the district,” he added.

The coffee plant has a life span of around 60 years. It bears fruit with minimum maintenance, said Coffee Development Trust Deputy Director Bhabani Shankar Kalo.  The seeds are sown nearly two years after shade plantations as the crop requires filter the sun’s rays for growth, he added.

He also said the beneficiaries will be able to harvest coffee only after the fifth year. In between, they can earn by harvesting spices like black pepper.