KALPETTA: Industries minister E.P. Jayarajan will inaugurate the ‘Village Coffee Park’, the coffee processing unit coming up under the Carbon Neutral Wayanad project, aimed at promoting coffee powder under the Malabar Coffee brand, on Saturday.
The project is coming up in connection with the completion of ‘1,000 days’ of LDF government.
As part of the project, as many as 1.5 lakh quality coffee plants also would be planted in the district.
A special office will be set up at Kalpetta for branding and execution of the Malabar coffee project, the office of industries minister said. The state government has earmarked Rs 150 crore for coffee promotion in the district.
Selling the coffee of Wayanad as Malabar Brand Coffee grown in the Carbon Neutral ‘Green’ plantations of Wayanad is a dream project pursued by finance minister T.M. Thomas Isaac for the last many years.
As per the Budget announcement, to double the income of coffee farmers the price received by farmers will be increased by ensuring that they will get 20 per cent of the retail price of coffee powder made from 1 kilogram of coffee beans.
Now the farmer is getting only 10 per cent of the retail price of coffee powder, it was pointed out.
As part of the project, at the time of procurement of beans itself, the price ranging from 25 to 100 per cent above the market rate, will be transferred to the account of farmers.
To reduce carbon emissions Rs 50 per year will be given to farmers for each tree as incentive for 10 years.
