Coffee Harvest Begins, But GCC And MAX Delay Price Fixation

farmers in a state of uncertainty.

These two public sector organisations, operated by the Integrated Tribal Development Agency, are responsible for marketing nearly half of the coffee produced in the tribal region.

The delay in announcing the procurement prices has helped private traders and farmer-producer organisations (FPOs) to start purchasing coffee ahead of them.

Traditionally, GCC and MAX announce support prices in October and begin procurement in the first week of November. However, this year, the apex committee, comprising the GCC managing director, the ITDA project officer and officials from the central coffee board, has not met, causing the delay in the price announcement.

As a result, farmers are selling their produce to private buyers without knowing the rates they might receive from the public agencies.

In the agency, 2.45 lakh tribal farmers cultivate coffee on 2.58 lakh acres, producing around 15,000 metric tonnes of clean coffee annually. Last year, GCC offered a maximum price of ₹400 per kg for parchment coffee, ₹250 per kg for cherry, and ₹330 per kg for organic cherry.

These rates set a record high; and farmers are now anxiously awaiting whether this year's prices will match or exceed those figures.

Coffee prices are determined by analysing trends from the past two years and assessing the current demand in national and international markets. The delay inconvening the apex committee has disrupted this process, even as the harvest season begins earlier than usual.

Above-normal rainfall in April and May, followed by consistent showers throughout July, August, and September, has resulted in a healthy crop. While harvesting, which typically starts in late November, has begun this year, farmers in Chintapalli and GK Veedhi mandals are already collecting ripe cherries.

Some are converting the cherries into parchment coffee, while others are selling them directly to traders.

Cyclone warnings and concerns about the Coffee Berry Borer pest have prompted Central Coffee Board officials to urge farmers to accelerate their cherry collection. With the first batch of cherries already moving into private hands, the lack of public-sector pricing has become an issue requiring an urgent response.

Gaduthuri Ram Gopal, president of the AP wing of the Indian Adivasi Federation, has called on GCC and MAX to commence procurement and ensure fair prices for tribal growers.