JEYPORE: In a big boost to coffee growers in Koraput, a specialised processing unit is set to be opened in the district within two months.The unit is being established by the Coffee Development Trust of Odisha Government at a cost of `2 crore. Construction of the unit started in January near Chandan Pokari in Koraput town and would be completed by October.
After completion of the coffee processing unit, coffee growers can process and sell locally grown coffee to national and international buyers through the Integrated Tribal Development Authority (ITDA) and District Coffee Board.
There are at least 150 coffee growers in the district and it is cultivated over 5,000 hectare land across Laxmipur, Kasipur, Dasmantpur, Nandapur, Lamtaput, Koraput, Potangi and Nandapur areas. Unlike coffee grown in Araku Valley of neighbouring Andhra Pradesh which created a name for itself with support from corporate houses, coffee grown in Koraput has not been that fortunate in terms of interest from corporates. There is no coffee processing unit for marketing of the coffee beans in Koraput. The growers depend on markets outside the district for processing coffee beans and marketing.
“We grow Arabica variety of coffee beans here which are usually sold to middlemen from Bengaluru at around `2,000 per quintal during winter. During the rest of the year, the beans are sold at `1,200 to `1,500 per quintal. After the processing unit comes up, we can hope for a fixed and better price round the year. Besides, we will get marketing support,” said a coffee grower, Sushant Panda of Rajuguda village.
Coffee was first grown in Koraput in the 1930s in some patches. It was grown as a cash crop in the 70s after a study by the then liaison officer of the Coffee Board Raghavendra Rao and subsequently, Soil Conservation wing of Government of Odisha took up coffee cultivation with an objective of increasing forest cover in Eastern Ghats, preventing soil erosion and preserving soil health in case of shift cultivation.