A tripartite agreement has been signed to launch a coffee plantation in Odisha's Kandhamal district, aimed at boosting the economy of the tribal region, an official said.
The Coffee Board of India, the Kandhamal administration and the Tribal Development Cooperative Corporation (TDCC) last month signed a memorandum of understanding for the project, he said.
The board will provide technology and training to the farmers, the TDCC will be the marketing agency and the Soil Conservation and Watershed Development Directorate will monitor the project, the official said.
Around 1.09 lakh hectares of land has been identified in six tribal blocks of the district on a lease basis, he said. High-yield seeds of different varieties of coffee will be planted in Daringbadi, Raikia, Tikabali, G Udayagiri, Phiringia and K Nuagam, official sources said.
Over four decades ago, a coffee plantation was undertaken in Daringbadi and G Udayagiri blocks in small patches on an experimental basis, they said. Coffee plantation usually requires 23-27 degrees Celsius temperature and annual rainfall of about 1,000-2,000 mm, experts said.
Kandhamal, with hilly ranges and narrow valley tracts, experiences an average maximum temperature of 45.5 degrees Celsius in summers and during the winter season, the average minimum temperature is 2 degrees Celsius, according to information available on the district website. The average annual rainfall recorded is 1,522.95 mm.
"The plantation will boost the economy of the region and lead the farmers towards adopting the cultivation of such cash crops," Kandhamal Collector Brunda Devrajan said.
With PTI inputs.
