Coffee that caught PM Modi’s attention and then BRICS: The Koraput story

After winning praise from Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Koraput Coffee recently became a talking point at the BRICS Summit. Modi had described the coffee as “very tasty” and the “pride of Odisha” in his Mann Ki Baat address last year. This year, Koraput Coffee’s Tiger Bright found a place at the BRICS Summit in New Delhi, taking the tribal-grown coffee from Odisha’s hills to an international audience.

Beyond the growing recognition, Koraput Coffee is benefitting thousands of tribal farmers by raising their incomes and opening up long-term livelihood opportunities. Coffee cultivation has so far covered 5,106 hectares in the district and benefited 6,437 farmers. The initiative has also helped farmers increase their income by around ₹60,000 a year, making coffee an additional source of income.

Under the leadership of Manoj Satyawan Mahajan, IAS (2019 Batch) currently posted as Collector of Koraput, the district administration’s vision is to take the area under coffee cultivation beyond 10,000 hectares over the next 10 years.The economic potential makes coffee significant for the region ranging from ₹2 lakh per hectare to ₹7 lakh per hectare and can support livelihoods for next 40 to 50 years .To support this expansion, more than 6,000 hectares of shade plantation is being taken up every year. Barren government hill land is also being brought under community-based coffee cultivation with tribal farmers involved in plantation and maintenance through support from government schemes.“Our vision is to put Koraput Coffee on the global map”.

Apart from this, it supports the environment and sustainability. More than 1.5 crore trees were planted last year, while shade plantations are helping bring barren hill areas under green cover. Koraput Coffee is marketed by TDCCOL, and is putting Koraput on the global coffee map, while supporting India through better tribal incomes, long-term livelihoods and greener hills.