Coffee cultivation in the tribal areas of Andhra Pradesh falling in Visakhapatnam district was started in a planned manner in the IX Five Year Plan and it is continuing since then under successive Five Year Plans. The coffee expansion programme is a collaborative effort of the Coffee Board and the State Government through the Integrated Tribal Development Agency (ITDA). The scheme serves the twin purposes of weaning away the tribals from “Podu” cultivation and providing them a reliable source of livelihood. At present, about 6000 Metric tonnes of coffee is estimated to be produced in Visakhapatnam district and it is proposed to strengthen and continue the programme through the XII Plan period. The quality of coffee grown in Visakhapatnam is very good and the Coffee Board has branded it as the “Araku Valley Coffee”. The Araku Valley coffee is as such recognized in the International market. Recently Araku Valley coffee has won the Best Arabica Coffee Award in the “Flavour of India Fine Cup Award” at Nice, France for 2013.
The Coffee Board implements a special scheme for promoting coffee in the Non-Traditional Areas of Andhra Pradesh and Odisha. Under the scheme, support is provided for expanding coffee cultivation in order to utilize the natural advantages offered by the eco-system. The Coffee Board also subsidises the tribals in procuring of Baby Pulpers and construction of drying yards for enhancing the quality of coffee for maximum price realization. Apart from this, the Coffee Board also implements a capacity building programme for the coffee growers and renders necessary technical advisories. All these support measures aid in providing the necessary leverage required to promote Visakha coffee.
The information was given by the Minister of State in the Ministry of Commerce and Industry Dr. D. Purandeswari in a written reply in the Rajya Sabha.