Araku Coffee Board Sets Sights on 50,000 Tonnes by 2047

 VISAKHAPATNAM: Araku Valley’s coffee production has grown from just 15 tonnes five decades ago to around 15,000 tonnes a year, and the Coffee Board is now targeting 50,000 tonnes by 2047 through scientific cultivation, better quality and sustainable farming.

As the Regional Coffee Research Station (RCRS) at R.V. Nagar in Alluri Sitarama Raju district marks its golden jubilee, Coffee Board chairperson M.J. Dinesh said the focus would be on improving productivity and quality rather than expanding the area under cultivation, with tribal farmers at the centre of the strategy.

“We want to take Araku coffee to the next level globally. Araku is already recognised internationally, but we are introducing ‘Indicof’, a quality standard for Indian coffee, to establish a distinct global identity for our green coffee exports,” he said.

The board plans to introduce a three-tier quality classification under the Indicof initiative and begin exports to international markets later this year. It is also preparing a nutri-organic package of practices for organic growers in Araku, parts of Odisha and the Northeast.

Based on field research and consultations with scientists, farmers and input manufacturers, the package will recommend scientific soil management, including the use of granulated lime to address poor soil nutrition and low pH levels.

“Many farmers currently harvest around 70 kg. Our objective is to significantly improve productivity from existing plantations so that their incomes increase without necessarily expanding the cultivated area,” Dinesh said.

The package will be released during the coffee board’s golden jubilee celebrations in Araku. To address climate change, farmers are being encouraged to adopt multi-crop and biodiversity-based farming instead of monoculture plantations.

Fruit-bearing and shade trees can improve soil health, regulate temperatures and provide additional sources of income, while strengthening Araku’s position as a producer of sustainably grown, shade-grown coffee in international markets, he said.

Dinesh said Brazil remained India’s biggest competitor in Arabica coffee, while Vietnam dominated the Robusta segment. He added that the recent India-UK trade agreement, which provides zero-tariff access for Indian coffee, offered an opportunity to expand exports, particularly to the UK market.

The coffee board would continue working with the Andhra Pradesh government to promote scientific cultivation, improve quality and strengthen market linkages so that tribal coffee growers in the Eastern Ghats benefit from higher productivity and premium prices, he said.