BHUBANESWAR: The Agriculture department has entered into an agreement with UK-based Anglia Ruskin University, NIWSASS and Tata Coffee to launch a project that would enhance the capacity of Koraput’s tribal coffee growers.
The coffee growers will be trained on value-addition to the arabica coffee grown on the hills of Koraput, quality management and market linkages. A meeting in this regard was organised among all the stakeholders recently. Principal secretary of Agriculture department Arabinda Kumar Padhee said by teaching farmers about post-harvest processing, grading, sorting, and packaging techniques, the aim is to help them produce high-quality coffee beans that meet international standards. This will not only enhance the market value of their produce but also increase their bargaining power in trade negotiations.
The focus is also market linkage as despite the rich coffee-growing potential of Koraput, tribal coffee growers often face challenges in accessing markets. The project aims to bridge this gap by organising them into producer organisations that would help them operate at a larger scale and negotiate better prices, establish strong national and international market linkages.