Odisha: Tribal Koraput becoming coffee hub

Koraput: Odisha's backward district of Koraput, till now known for its poverty, has found a place in the global coffee map by winning laurels in the recetly held world coffee meet.

Coffee grown in this district by newly minted planters has won several prizes at the 5th World Coffee Conference held last month at Bengaluru, a Coffee Board official said.

One variety of the beverage grown in the district won the award of the best 'Natural Coffee', another the best in the 'semi-washed' category and yet another the fifth position in the 'washed' category.

“The Arabica variety of coffee produced in Koraput is known for its distinct flavor and low acidity content, making it a strong competitor to established brands,” said Ashutosh Nanda, the district marketing manager of Tribal Development Cooperative Corporation Odisha Limited (TDCCOL) of Koraput.

Coffee cultivation has changed the life of Sidharth Pangi, a 38-year-old resident of Khudubu village in Nandapur block of the district, who like many others in the district worked as a migrant labourer in neighbouring Andhra Pradesh to support his family of four.

Four years ago he decided to cultivate coffee in two acres he owned under the Forest Rights Act and today Pangi and his family thank coffee and black pepper cultivation for their comfortable life.

“I never imagined that growing coffee could increase my income to the extent that I will no longer require to be a migrant labourer. I earned around Rs 70,000 by selling coffee beans and another Rs 60,000 from black pepper in 2022-23," he said.

It has helped him to purchase a four-wheeler for commercial purposes, which supplements his income, Pangi, who also cultivates maize and millet, said with pride.

Approximately 50 tribal farmers of Khudubu collectively earned over Rs 13 lakh by selling more than 24 metric tons of coffee beans at Rs 55 per kg in 2022-23 season, officials said.

The success of coffee cultivation has given Surjya Chautia, a 50-year-old former migrant labourer of Gollur village, the confidence to see his two sons through their higher education.

Coffee cultivation in Koraput was first introduced by the erstwhile Jeypore Maharaja Rajbahadur Rama Chandra Deo in 1930. After the abolition of Jeypore zamindari in 1951, the state government through the soil conservation department undertook coffee plantations as a measure to prevent siltation in Machkund basin of the Machkund hydroelectricity project of the district in 1958.

But the district was designated as a non-traditional area for coffee plantations. With limited government intervention and plantation in non-suitable areas in the district, the economic benefits of coffee plantation remained elusive to the farmers, said Coffee Board officer Ajit Rout, the former senior liaison officer of Coffee Board in Koraput and now posted at Coorg, Karnataka.

It was due to Rout’s efforts that the district administration established the Coffee Development Trust in May 2017 to transform Koraput into a coffee hub.

A 10-year road map was created to revive coffee plantations in the district with the aim of bringing an additional 22,000 hectares under it. The first year of this initiative witnessed a massive silver oak plantation in over 543 hectares.

But it was not without its pitfalls as marketing coffee beans posed a challenge to the growers. Middlemen from neighbouring Andhra Pradesh procured the produce from the farmers in Koraput at very low prices.

“To address this, the Tribal Development Co-operative Corporation of Odisha Ltd (TDCCOL), a state government enterprise, was approached by the district administration and it stepped in to procure coffee beans directly from farmers,” Rout said.

Subsequently, the TDCCOL established a curing center, including roasting, grinding and packaging unit, at a cost of Rs 50 lakh. The procured beans were processed and marketed as filter coffee under the brand 'Koraput Coffee'.

The brand's products are now available through e-commerce platforms such as Amazon and through Adisha, the state government’s retail outlet. Urban areas of the state like Puri and Bhubaneswar have coffee outlets Koraput Coffee selling espresso, cappuccino, café latte, black and cold varieties.

This organised marketing strategy and attractive profit margins have motivated tribal farmers to embrace coffee cultivation in larger numbers in the district. Today Koraput boasts over 3500 hectares of coffee plantation, including 778 hectares of private plantations, cultivated by around 4300 growers.

In 2022-23 over 150 MT of coffee was produced in the district, with the majority of 84 MT being procured by the TDCCOL from over 300 tribal farmers.This was a significant increase in comparison to the previous year when it had procured over 31MT of coffee beans from 177 farmers.

Buoyed by the remarkable success of 'Koraput Coffee', Odisha government introduced 'Koraput Instant Coffee (KIC) ' in August 2023 with an aim to make the beverage more accessible to houeholds, bolster the product’s market presence and enhance the tribal economy of the region.

“The popularity of Koraput Coffee was undeniable but we faced challenges in making it a household staple as it was predominantly available as filter coffee, which requires specialised coffee makers. This restricted its consumption with only ardent coffee enthusiasts enjoying the brew at home,” said Poma Tudu, TDCCOL managing director.

"The introduction of KIC is set to change that and establish it as a formidable contender to other instant coffees available in the market, she added.

TDCCOL plans to procure more coffee beans from tribal farmers, which will further enhance the tribal economy and benefit those involved in allied activities. In the 2021-22 season it had sold over 12 MT of filter coffee through its outlets across the state.

Private coffee growers are for streamlining the existing land lease policy for coffee cultivation.

“As most of the land in the district belongs to the tribals and transactions with non-tribal is very difficult, the government should provide the existing wasteland on lease to private growers to undertake coffee plantation for 99 years instead of the prevailing 45 years,” said Pradeep Mohanty, the president of Odisha Coffee Growers Association.

“Also the lease system should be finalised through a single-window clearance either at the district or state level,” he added.

Situated between 2800-3400 feet above sea level, with favourable climate for coffee plantation, a government study found around 1.46 lakh hectares in the district suitable for coffee plantation.

While, earlier only tribal farmers were supported for coffee plantation, non-tribal farmers were included under the hill sector from 2022-23 to further boost production in the district, said Upendra Kumar Saha, the senior liaison officer of Coffee Board in Koraput.