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Araku coffee’s aroma to waft through Europe

HYDERABAD: The aroma of organic coffee produced in Visakhapatnam forests will not only waft through the nostrils of connoisseurs, but also fetch rich dividends too to the 8,000 tribal families producing the seed.

European countries have placed orders for importing 300 tonnes of ‘Araku Emerald’, premium organic coffee, which complies with the stringent international specifications.

Araku Emerald is the only Indian coffee variety to have received ‘Fair Trade’ certification. Steps are under way to forge a tripartite agreement between the Coffee Board, Integrated Tribal Development Agency (ITDA) and Naandi Foundation.

Union Minister of State for Commerce Jairam Ramesh, Chief Executive Officer Society for Elimination of Rural Poverty (SERP) T. Vijay Kumar, Integrated Tribal Development Agency Project Officer Sharat, and Naandi Foundation Director Priti Rao attended a meeting here on Saturday to work out modalities for the tripartite agreement.

Mr. Vijay Kumar said organic coffee produced in Araku Valley and Paderu region is in high demand in Europe. Various government and non-governmental organisations joined hands to take the premium coffee produce to global market.

He said the Coffee Board and ITDA were providing technical assistance for organic coffee cultivation, while the Indira Kranti Patham ensured village organisations, comprising the women thrift groups and Mandal federations, are formed to procure the produce. Naandi Foundation will work for securing quality certifications and marketing of the produce. “This effort is expected to bring 30 per cent more income to the poor tribals.”

About 4,000 tonnes of coffee is produced annually in the Araku valley and Paderu regions, which is about 15 per cent of India’s coffee production.

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