TN exports $55 mn worth of coffee in 2020; instant version scores high, finds survey

The popularity of the Malabar coffee has increased and its volume of export grew at 7 per cent

Tamil Nadu has exported $ 55 million worth of coffee in year 2020, says a survey by Drip Capital, a global trade finance firm. Most of the exports consist of instant coffee, the company said in a press release on Wednesday.

To retain the growth of their global market share, exporters should continue developing trends in the instant coffee market, the release said. Research indicates that many other States in the country could benefit by following Andhra Pradesh in setting up several coffee processing plants, it said.

While COVID-19 did stir things up in the sector, the survey shows the popularity of the Malabar coffee has increased and its volume of export grew at 7 per cent compound annual growth rate (CAGR) in the last decade ending 2020 with the value of exports rising at 11 per cent CAGR for the same period.

“The global appreciation for this variety of coffee in the market will help it command a higher price. Already taking advantage of the trend, certain micro coffee estates and roasters are currently trying to tap into this new opportunity on a small, experimental scale. With further aid from the Coffee Board of India and the government, coffee producers in the country could take this highly popular specialty coffee to greater heights, co-founder and CEO of Drip Capital, Pushkar Mukewar, said in the release.

source: http://www.freepressjournal.in / The Free Press Journal / Home> Business / by PTI / July 28th, 2021

Elite KSISF Takes Over Harangi Dam Security

No more unrestricted entry; move to curb illegal activities 

Mysore/Mysuru:

Amidst thick of a controversy over the safety and security of the KRS Dam in Mandya in the wake of rampant illegal mining, the State Government has upgraded the security of Harangi Dam in Kodagu district that is the only upstream reservoir that supplies water to KRS.

Till now, the Harangi Reservoir security was manned by lathi-wielding Kodagu District Reserve Police and Civil Police. 

Now the security apparatus has been handed over to gun-toting professionals from the elite Karnataka State Industrial Security Force (KSISF). Over 23 men are guarding the Dam 24×7 and unrestricted entry has been banned. All visitors will be frisked henceforth and only those who have valid permission from the KSISF will be allowed inside. 

The KSISF also manages the security of the KRS Dam. The Harangi Dam is in the upper Cauvery sub-basin reservoir near Hudgur village in Somwarpet taluk. Water from the reservoir irrigates 1.65 lakh hectares of farmland in Kodagu, Hassan and Mysuru districts. The maximum height of the reservoir is 2,859 feet and it has the capacity to store 8.5 tmcft of water.

The KSISF personnel are guarding the Dam main gate, four sluice gates and power house. Vigil will be kept till the end of the right canal. As per the new security protocol, vehicle parking has been arranged at the entrance of the Dam and visitors have to obtain permission from the Irrigation Department to enter the reservoir premises. Also, permission from the KSISF is required for private vehicles.

Earlier, private vehicles could enter into the Dam premises easily and entry was unrestricted if the visitors had the backing of politicians and elected representatives. The place was also a haven for illegal activities where liquor parties were held at the Dam guest house and also at a few places in the vicinity and backwaters.

Now all those who enter inside the Dam are screened and the registration number of the vehicles and information of tourists are documented. 

Speaking to Star of Mysore, Inspector K.S. Chandrashekar said that as Harangi is a sensitive zone, the KSISF has been entrusted with the security.

He said that the Dam security and the safety of visitors were paramount and security will also be provided to the sound-and-light show in the evenings. 

The KSISF was set up in 2012 and it started its service by providing security cover to Vidhana Soudha, Vikasa Soudha and KRS Dam when Siddharamaiah was the CM. The KSISF personnel are trained in access control, gadgets management, communications, people management, fitness and have an eagle eye for disaster management.

source: http://www.starofmysore.com / Star of Mysore / Home> News / July 18th, 2021

Andhra Pradesh coffee exports touch $ 142million

Andhra Pradesh coffee exports touch $ 142million

HIGHLIGHTS

Andhra Pradesh, the country’s second-largest exporter of coffee, exported coffee worth $142 million in the financial year 2020-21.

Vijayawada:

Andhra Pradesh, the country’s second-largest exporter of coffee, exported coffee worth $142 million in the financial year 2020-21.

The State government is encouraging the coffee production in Araku valley and other places during the past few years. The share of Andhra Pradesh accounts for more than 50 percent of India’s instant coffee exports.

The State possesses many manufacturing plants that process green coffee beans to instant coffee, which commands a 31 percent share in India’s coffee exports basket.

Drip Capital Inc, a global trade finance company, recently released a report examining the coffee trade across different regions of India. From analysing proprietary and publicly available data, getting insights from coffee exporters in the country, to understanding several emerging market trends brewing in the industry, the report speaks in-depth about the dynamics of the coffee sector.

The coffee exports from this region have been growing at a 3 percent over the past five years. The largest and the most famous coffee-growing region in Andhra Pradesh is Araku valley plantations.

According to the Coffee Board of India, on average, 3100 MT of (mainly) Arabica coffee is harvested from this region. Exports of instant coffee are rising from Andhra Pradesh due to increased export value realisation for the commodity.

Pushkar Mukewar, Co-Founder and CEO, Drip Capital, said, “as a commodity, instant coffee enjoys the product feature of convenience- a quality in high demand and vital to today’s global, fast-paced life. Hence, Indian exporters must stay abreast of developing trends in the instant coffee exports market. Also, to boost India’s overall coffee exports, many other States could benefit from mimicking Andhra Pradesh by setting up several coffee processing plants.”

source: http://www.thehansindia.com / The Hans India / Home> News> States> Andhra Pradesh / by Hans News Service / July 26th, 2021

Taapsee Pannu, Gulshan Devaiah begin shooting for ‘Blurr’

Blurr, the first film from Taapsee Pannu’s newly launched production house Outsiders Films, has gone on floors.

Actors Taapsee Pannu and Gulshan Devaiah (Photo | Gulshan Devaiah Instagram)

Blurr, the first film from Taapsee Pannu’s newly launched production house Outsiders Films, has gone on floors.

Blurr will be partly shot in the heritage buildings of Nainital with Mall Road and Russian Bypass.

Besides this, certain scenes will be canned at places like Bhimtal, Bhawali Sattal and Mukteshwar.

Blurr is being helmed by Section 375 director Ajay Bahl.

Written by Pawan Sony and Ajay Bahl, the film is a psychological thriller with a social context.

source: http://www.newindianexpress.com / The New Indian Express / Home> Entertainment> Hindi / by Express News Service / July 20th, 2021

Kodagu district achieves 137% success in inoculating degree students

Kodagu district health department managed to surpass its target of vaccinating degree students even as it faced an acute shortage of vaccines due to the limited supply of doses from the state.

Representational Image (File Photo | PTI)

Madikeri :

Despite the acute shortage of COVID-19 vaccines, Kodagu district has achieved 137% target of vaccinating 18+ college students on a priority basis.

The state department of Colleges and Technical Education had earlier directed the district health department to inoculate 11,483 degree students, teaching and non-teaching staff on a priority basis by July 27.

Special drives to inoculate degree college students were successfully hosted across healthcare centres and colleges, even as the district crossed the set target assigned by the department of education.

“Many native students are studying in colleges outside the district. Hence, we have crossed the set target and vaccinated over 14,000 students,” confirmed an official.

Special vaccination drives were hosted in nearly 33 degree colleges apart from the designated PHCs where vaccine doses were reserved for students.

“We collected reports from the colleges and planned the drive accordingly,” added the official.

Amidst the short supply of vaccines, the district has managed to inoculate students successfully while also being in the news for achieving negative wastage of the vaccine doses.

source: http://www.newindianexpress.com / The New Indian Express / Home> States> Karnataka / by Prajna GR, Express News Service / July 25th, 2021

‘It was amazing to work with Vikas Bahl’

DAYANA ERAPPA, who was seen in her first Hindi venture, Sunflower, speaks with SHALINI SAKSENA about how she got this project

How did you end up doing Sunflower — the web series?

This was my first Hindi venture so I was quite excited about it. Like any other actor, I went through a couple of rounds of auditions and finally made it to the role.

How was the experience of working with Vikas Bahl?

It was amazing. Vikas is a great mentor. He lets you improvise and makes it very comfortable and easy for an actor to perform. There’s a lot that I learnt from him. I hope to associate with him in the future as well.

What’s your role here? How exciting was it to do this genre?

I play Justina. The character shows how every woman can be bold. She speaks her mind out and values that immensely. She is confident and independent. It was easy to identify with this character; I truly have the same kind of beliefs. So, the character’s attitude towards life is very similar to mine. I thoroughly enjoyed being part of this project and playing this role. I would say that it is among my my favourites till date.

You started as a model, how did acting happen?

When I got a call from Mani Ratnam’s office, I came on board for his hit film, Chekka Chivantha Vaanam. Post that, there’s been no looking back. I’m glad I transcended to films and I’m looking forward to exploring film industry in various languages. I definitely want to be part of more Bollywood projects as well and look forward to the different roles that I can play.

You have done so many ad campaigns, what’s the best part of it?

The best part of it is that you get to meet a lot of experienced people and there is always something to take back from each campaing that one does. I’ve learnt a lot by being part of so many ad campaigns.

Are you still pursuing modelling?

Yes, I still enjoy modelling but I have limited myself to editorials and designer campaigns. It all started with modelling, so I can never dissociate myself from that.

Lots of actors are doing regional films as well. What is the driving force here?

Honestly, for me the driving force is the content. As far as I am getting good scripts that have great content, I will do that whether it’s regional cinema or Bollywood. Also I feel, OTT has been great platform for regional cinema. The medium doesn’t really matter to me. All that matters is the content and my part.

What next?

I am working on a few projects but I can’t really talk about them right now.

source: http://www.dailypioneer.com / Daily Pioneer / Home> Sunday edition> Sunday Pioneer> Back Pack / by Shalini Saksena / July 25th, 2021

Cheering Indian hockey players with equal gusto from sidelines

Cheering Indian hockey players with equal gusto from sidelines

New Delhi :

Ten Indian hockey enthusiasts including two from Mumbai who were to land in Tokyo on the opening day of the Olympics, will now have to watch hockey on television. All of them were going to watch and support the Indian hockey teams at any Olympics for the first time.

These 10 persons in the 30 to 65 age group from different Indian cities are members of the core group of the One Team One Dream (OTOD) and were looking forward to watching and cheering for the Indian men and women hockey teams. Following an announcement by the Japanese government that no spectators would be allowed at the Olympic Games, they abandoned their travel plans. They were to be joined by 11 other OTOD members and Persons of Indian Origin from Canada, Finland, New Zealand, Malaysia and the United Kingdom.

One Team One Dream is a group of passionate hockey lovers who follow the Indian national hockey team around the world. The OTOD was formed in 2010 after some hockey lovers met during the World Cup and the Commonwealth Games in India. Their dream is to see India win at the Olympics and win the World Cup again. The group is easily recognised at the hockey events with their white turbans and white head scarves.

Leo Anthony Devadoss, a banker turned coordinator of the group who once represented Karnataka State at the junior level, said while 18 OTOD members had booked in a private apartment in Shinagawa and made an advance payment of Rs2 lakh, their friends from Canada, Finland and Malaysia had made their own arrangements. Anthony has also volunteered as a coach at the Dhanraj-Ballal hockey academy. “Raja Namdhari, a sports goods dealer in Delhi is actually the driving forcing behind One Team One Dream. Our OTOD members were excited about meeting after a year and a half. We last met at FIH Pro League in Bhubaneshwar in January 2020. It is not just about the money we lost. We are worried about the opportunity we lost. We are confident the hockey men’s team will make it the victory stand and we hope the Indian women’s hockey team will make it to the quarterfinal. They have it in them to beat any team in the world. We are lucky the Mumbai based sole ticketing agent of the Tokyo Olympics has promised to reimburse a certain per centage of the ticket money which will be refunded by the Tokyo Olympic Committee. The apartment owner has been very understanding and he has agreed to refund us the amount. It is however a huge disappointment but it has been softened by the knowledge no spectators policy at the Games is in the interest of public health. We were also looking forward to buying tickets for boxing, wrestling and badminton.’’

Devadoss acknowleded help from Siegfred Aikman, the national coach of the Japanese men hockey team. “Iakman has been a good friend of OTOD. We met Aikman, designated as the FIH (International Hockey Federation) High Performance coach, at the 2018 World Cup in Bhubaneshwar. He was guiding us regarding our tour to Tokyo. So was my friend’s mother, Dr Yashoda, a second generation Japanese paediatrician who runs a private clinic in Bengaluru. She was also to go to Tokyo to watch the games as many of her archer son, Rakshak’s friends were going but even she is not going now as there are no spectators.’’

Devadoss said the OTOD group is now planning to meet in Bengaluru from August 1 to 6. “We will miss the live action at the Oi hockey stadium would have been only three miles from Shinagawa city where we were to stay. We will now be watching the quarter finals, semi finals and finals of the men and women’s hockey team. We have arranged for a big screen to be put up just for our group.

On August 4, we have arranged for a lunch and reached out to 17 Bengaluru based hockey Olympians.

Of them, eight hockey Olympians including Arjun Halappa, Sabu Virkey, Poonacha, Bharat Chetri, Ashish Ballal, Nikin Thimaiyya V.R. Raghnunath and SK Uthappa have promised to join us. Hopefully, we will be able to persuade them to join us in cheering for the Indian women hockey team at the semi final match the same day.’’

source: http://www.freepressjournal.in / The Free Press Journal / Home> India> Olympics Special / by Tripti Nath / July 23rd, 2021

Sailor K.C. Ganapathy All Set To Make A Mark At Olympics

For the first time, India will have more than two sailors at the Tokyo Olympics, including Kodagu-born Kelappanda Chengappa Ganapathy and Nethra Kumanan, the first Indian woman sailor.

This is also for the first time India will be competing in more than one sailing event — Laser Radial, Laser Standard and 49er

While Nethra Kumanan will be in Laser Radial and Vishnu Saravanan in Laser Standard, K.C. Ganapathy and Varun Thakkar will be in 49er.

According to Varun and Ganapathy, sailing, unlike other sporting disciplines, does not have multiple events to win, like a freestyle swimmer can swim in 100 mts 500 mts and so on and likewise an athlete can run in 100 mrs 400 mrs etc.

It is noteworthy that only in 2021 sailors from India have qualified for the Olympics and will be participating as qualified sports persons, as till date all entries have been through wild card entries or quota slots. Asia has one slot in each sailing class and Japan being the host country.

Ganapathy is the son of Kelappanda late Deepak Chengappa and Reshma Chengappa (from Allaranda family). His mother Reshma runs a furniture business in Chennai and the family is settled there. His grandparents are Kelappanda late Pratap and Padma Prathap. Padma resides at Kolthodu village near Hatur village in South Kodagu.

source: http://www.starofmysore.com / Star of Mysore / Home> Sports / July 22nd, 2021

Kodagu-Born Fitness Coach Helps Athletes Create History

Enables Indian swimmer Sajan Prakash, the first Indian to do so, to make the Olympic ‘A’ cut.

Sajan Prakash had gone through a tough phase over the last year or so including a career-threatening injury and he overcame it with sheer hard work and perseverance. In that tough phase, Bengaluru-based Physical Preparation Coach Kulletira Jeeth Devaiah helped Sajan Prakash overcome his difficulties and finally make it to the Olympics. Jeeth has his roots at Napoklu in Kodagu. In a chat with Star of Mysore, Jeeth spoke about his personal goals and achievements, future plans and training Sajan for the biggest stage in international sport.  Excerpts:

Ace swimmer Sajan Prakash is preparing hard for the Tokyo Olympics. It was a case of now or never for the Kerala swimmer who qualified for the world games at the 58th Sette Colli Trophy in Rome with a timing of one minute, 56.38 seconds in the heats, 0.10 seconds quicker than the Olympic Qualifying Time (OQT) to make the direct cut to Olympics. It was also his second straight Olympics, which no other Indian has been able to achieve previously.

Star of Mysore (SOM): As a Physical Preparations Coach, tell us your association with Sajan Prakash and how your training and mentorship helped him.

Jeeth Devaiah: Sajan Prakash was in Railways and I too was. So we had a common ground. He was always a high performer and in 2014 just before the Rio Olympics — where he was the only swimmer to qualify — he had some kind of a niggle and since he knew me well he came to Pro Care Galen and Performance Centre in Bengaluru where I and my physiotherapist Dr. Gautham worked on him. Then he went to Rio and we were connected since then. 

Sajan Prakash’s skills being evaluated.

SOM: What was the nature of his problem?

Jeeth Devaiah: After Rio, Sajan moved to Thanyapura in Phuket, Thailand, where he was selected by the FINA Academy. During training, he was complaining of neck and shoulder pain. He wanted me to go there and help him out. In swimming, we call  it a ground-based activity where we do a lot of core work, strength work and injury prevention work. I was in Phuket for a couple of months where I brought him to a level of fitness.

We had our plans cut out but unfortunately he had a major injury and which again not many could diagnose. Then he came back to Bengaluru and stayed with me in my house. I took care of him personally for 2 to 3 months where we did a proper rehab session and made him stop swimming temporarily. Later he went to Phuket where he started swimming and the pain recurred.

OM: Was he able to overcome the pain?

Jeeth Devaiah: Yes, he was pretty hardworking and he could manage both swimming and pain management. We were in touch online on what needs to be done for injury management and things like that. He later moved to Dubai where his coach Pradeep and other physiotherapists took over. We had absolute trust that he would qualify for the Tokyo ‘A’ cut. Also, Sajan is disciplined and has a great sense of self-belief. We are proud of him. 

Jeeth Devaiah training Sajan Prakash.

SOM: Do you have any plans to go to Tokyo to see Sajan perform?

Jeeth Devaiah: Fitness has always been my forte. Not many people will dare to dream big. I trained at the highest level in cricket, hockey and football. I have been a hockey player myself and I started a job in Railways at the age of 19. In 2004, I forayed into a full-fledged career in physical preparation and started work with Indian Railways for the Ranji Trophy and that year, we won the trophy.

I have not looked back since then and my career graph went up. In 2004, I joined the Indian Cricket Team along with many trainers under Coach Greg Chapell, who was very particular about Indian players experiencing the best in the fitness scenario and the latest advancements. I was one among the four trainers selected to be with the Indian team and trained various teams till 2010. The same year I trained the Delhi Daredevils (now known as Delhi Capitals). And the same year I got an opportunity to train the women’s hockey team before the London Olympics but unfortunately we did not qualify.

Jeeth at work

SOM: Where did you train football teams?

Jeeth Devaiah: That was Esbjerg Football Club, Denmark, in 2019 and also Esbjerg Academy Team. We won a tournament in Holland and people were shocked to see an Indian running behind the Danish team and it was a good experience in my career to understand how professional they are. Their sessions are all planned months in advance and I learnt to bring back the same to India. In 2014, I went to Australia and worked with the Australia National Rugby Team and Sydney Kings Men’s Basketball.

I also worked with I League team Sudeva Delhi FC last year and we were only Indians and no foreigners as the promoters wanted to give maximum opportunity to Indian players. We fared pretty well considering we trained under a bio-bubble environment (no going outside) for months. Staying in a bio-bubble is draining physically and mentally as everything is restricted and your freedom is completely curtailed.

Sajan Prakash in Bengaluru training with Jeeth Devaiah

SOM: How was it working with Women’s Hockey Team?

Jeeth Devaiah: That was in the World Cup and the girls had been to Argentina where they were beaten badly. At that time the team coach too was from Railways and we had a good understanding. They had no concept of fitness. I had to go in and change their mind-set. I had to teach the women that fitness is also important and made them follow strength training guidelines which they are still following for Tokyo Olympics.

There was a misconception that women should not lift more weights and I broke that. In fact, at one place in China where we had been for Asian Champions Trophy and just before the match we did one set of strength training, a warm up and straight ventured into the field to play. That was the confidence the girls had. And after 2010, the girls started understanding that fitness plays a crucial role and it was a good experience for me also.

With Esbjerg Football Club-Denmark.

SOM: How do you plan fitness programming? 

Jeeth Devaiah: We plan the fitness programming according to the muscular and skeletal assessment. Our players are keener on skills rather than fitness, I would like for them to focus on both equally. My focus as a preparation coach is that they should not miss any games in terms of injuries so the first priority is strength and condition coaching. If you keep them fit without pain and aches they will be able to play more and give their best.

SOM: What are your goals and ambitions for the future?

Jeeth Devaiah: My goal is to work with an ISL (Indian Super League) team. I have worked with Sudeva Delhi FC and also with the Denmark League. ISL is more challenging and I am already in talks with a couple of teams.

source: http://www.starofmysore.com / Star of Mysore / Home> Feature Articles / by B.C. Thimmaiah / July 22nd, 2021

Artificial Intelligence And Machine Learning Course At CIT

Ponnampet:

A new engineering course in Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning (AI & ML), an allied branch of Computer Science and Engineering, is being introduced at Coorg Institute of Technology (CIT), Ponnampet, South Kodagu, from the academic year 2021-22. 

Artificial Intelligence (AI) is an emerging technology that enables creating intelligent systems that can simulate human intelligence.  

AI and ML opens the door to highly skilled engineers to propel humans to the 5th Industrial Revolution, said C.P. Belliappa, President, CIT and called upon the student fraternity to take advantage of the new course that is set to begin in CIT in the academic year 2021-22.

Artificial Intelligence has various applications in today’s society. AI can solve complex problems efficiently in multiple disciplines, such as robotics, space exploration, healthcare, entertainment, finance, edu-cation, social media, driverless automobiles, precision agri-culture, drone deliveries etc. Drones and robots are another example of this technology being increasingly used in modern warfare.

Machine Learning (ML) is a subfield of artificial intelligence, which enables machines or computer-controlled systems to learn and improve automatically through experience and by using data.

Some examples of ML are online recommender systems, Google search algorithms, Facebook/Twitter auto-friend tagging suggestions, accurate predictions based on big data, medical diagnosis, detecting credit card frauds and Alexa, the voice controlled virtual assistant that uses AI technology.

These trends in technologies have been impacting humanity like never before and offer highly challenging and rewarding opportunities. 

CIT has established a Robotic Laboratory where students and faculty from all the disciplines come together to develop innovative ideas and products. 

source: http://www.starofmysore.com / Star of Mysore / Home> July 20th, 2021