The world is waking up to smell India’s specialty coffee, said Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday, during his address to the nation.
From Chikmaglur and Coorg down south, to Koraput in Odisha, India’s coffee beans are being brewed globally, he said.
“Indian coffee is becoming very popular all over the world. Be it Chikmagalur, Coorg and Hassan in Karnataka; the areas of Pulney, Shevaroy, Nilgiri, and Annamalai in Tamil Nadu; the Niligiri region on the Karnataka-Tamil Nadu border; or the areas of Wayanad, Travancore, and Malabar in Kerala – the diversity of Indian coffee is truly remarkable,” the Prime Minister said during the 127th edition of his monthly radio address, Mann ki Baat.
Koraput in Odisha has about 5,000 hectares of land under coffee cultivation, and is known for its unique agro-climatic conditions that are suitable for high-quality Arabica coffee.
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The state’s Tribal Development Co-operative Corporation of Odisha Ltd (TDCCOL) is an apex-level cooperative institution that ensures end-to-end processing, right from procurement of coffee beans to drying, grading, and marketing of the commodity.
Arabica and Robusta Coffee are the two commercially cultivated coffee types worldwide, including India.
While Karnataka accounts for about 70 per cent of the country’s coffee production, it is closely followed by Kerala and Tamil Nadu.
Andhra Pradesh and Odisha are non-traditional areas of coffee cultivation, but gaining ground in its cultivation.
The Prime Minister said the lure of coffee has tempted many to leave their lucrative corporate jobs to pursue its cultivation.
“...they liked coffee so much that they entered this field and are now successfully working in it. There also are many women whose lives have been pleasantly transformed by coffee,” he said.
During April-September this fiscal year, India’s coffee exports rose 12.5 per cent to USD 1.05 billion.
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