Berry Borer Pest Threatens Andhra’s Coffee Heartland
The Central Coffee Board has confirmed the presence of this pest in four villages of the Araku Valley, located in the Alluri Sitarama Raju district
Visakhapatnam: For the first time in the history of coffee cultivation in Andhra Pradesh, a threat from the Coffee Berry Borer pest has raised alarm among planters.
The Central Coffee Board has confirmed the presence of this pest in four villages of the Araku Valley, located in the Alluri Sitarama Raju district. Fears are that this has the potential to cause widespread damage to tribal coffee gardens.
The Coffee Board has initiated an urgent containment operation, with its chairman MJ Dinesh overseeing the efforts on-site.
He said a special survey is currently underway across 11 mandals to track the spread of the pest-infliction. Teams of scientists and coffee board officials are working closely with tribal farmers, urging them to remain vigilant and report signs of an outbreak.
Field visits have confirmed active destruction in infected zones, prompting the launch of awareness campaigns to help farmers identify and respond to the pest early. The Integrated Tribal Development Agency (ITDA) is supporting this survey through its field officers.
The first confirmed outbreak of the Coffee Berry Borer was traced to Pakanakudi village in the Chinalabudu panchayat, under the Paderu revenue division.
Officials have begun collecting infected beans from the coffee plantations and are using hot water immersion techniques to eliminate the insects. Quarantine measures have been implemented in five villages: Pakanakudi, Malisingaram, Malivalasa, Thurraiguda and Manjaguda.
As a precaution, the export and import of coffee beans from these areas have been banned. Beans harvested in these regions will be processed locally into parchment to prevent the spread of the disease.
Attempts are on to contain the outbreak. Scientists from the Coffee Research Institute (CCRI), the RV Nagar Research Station, and the Central Coffee Board are conducting intensive field surveys in GK Veedhi, Chintapalli and G Madugula mandals. Their observations would guide the next phase of containment and support for farmers.
The scale of coffee cultivation in the ASR district highlights the urgency of the situation. Over 245,000 tribal farmers cultivate coffee on 258,000 acres, while the state Forest Development Corporation manages an additional 10,025 acres.
During a recent visit to Paderu, chief minister Chandrababu Naidu asked district officials to expand coffee cultivation by 100,000 acres.
