Former MLC and International Karate expert from Kodagu, Cheppudira Arun Machaiah has been appointed as the new Joint Chairman of the Technical Commission of Karate India Organisation (KIO).
Director of World Shitorio Karate Council and President of All India Shitorio Karate Organisation, Arun is the first Kannadiga to achieve the highest post of KIO.
source/content: starofmysore.com (headline edited)
From nearly 6.30 am, voters started to queue outside their respective polling stations with much enthusiasm to practice their duty.
Voters from all sections of the society enthusiastically took part in the festival of democracy and cast their votes.Photo | EPS
Madikeri :
Smooth polling was recorded across Kodagu and the district recorded a voter turnout of 70.58% at 5pm.
Voters from all sections of the society enthusiastically took part in the festival of democracy and cast their votes. The district had special polling booths even as foresters guarded the booths located in wildlife conflict zones.
The minor glitches in EVMs were sorted out during the mock voting process held in all polling booths from 6 am to 7 am. From nearly 6.30 am, voters started to queue outside their respective polling stations with much enthusiasm to practice their duty.
A total of 23 special polling booths including Sakhi and Model booths were set up across the district. At Maldare, Nagarahole, Hebbale, Malambi, Heruru and CB Halli, tribal themed polling stations were set up to woo the increased population of tribes.
The tribes in large groups participated in the electoral process enthusiastically. The Sakhi polling stations were decked up in polling centers that had increased women voters even as Kodagu ADC Veena BN opted to vote from one of the Sakhi polling booths in Madikeri. Model polling centers with improved facilities also wooed the voters.
However, the officers on election duty at the interior village of Vanachal were made to suffer for some time due to the unavailability of drinking water.
Nevertheless, the voters of the center helped the officers and arranged for a drinking water facility. In Wildlife conflict zones including regions across Siddapura, Kushalnagar and Virajpet, a Range Forest Officer alongside a Rapid Response Team equipped with weapons were deployed to ensure the safety of the voters. Armed Forces from Gujarat guarded the naxal sensitive booths across the district including at Karike and Sampaje areas.
A tragic incident was, however, reported at a polling station in B Shettigeri of South Kodagu. Manohar (58), a traditional drummer who played the ‘chande’ instrument, died of a heart attack outside the polling station.
Sources confirmed that he waited in the queue and cast his vote. However, he collapsed outside the polling center after he suffered a heart attack and died.
MADIKERI: Smooth polling was recorded across Kodagu and the district recorded a voter turnout of 70.58% at 5pm.
Voters from all sections of the society enthusiastically took part in the festival of democracy and cast their votes. The district had special polling booths even as foresters guarded the booths located in wildlife conflict zones.
The minor glitches in EVMs were sorted out during the mock voting process held in all polling booths from 6 am to 7 am. From nearly 6.30 am, voters started to queue outside their respective polling stations with much enthusiasm to practice their duty.
A total of 23 special polling booths including Sakhi and Model booths were set up across the district. At Maldare, Nagarahole, Hebbale, Malambi, Heruru and CB Halli, tribal themed polling stations were set up to woo the increased population of tribes.
The tribes in large groups participated in the electoral process enthusiastically. The Sakhi polling stations were decked up in polling centers that had increased women voters even as Kodagu ADC Veena BN opted to vote from one of the Sakhi polling booths in Madikeri. Model polling centers with improved facilities also wooed the voters.
However, the officers on election duty at the interior village of Vanachal were made to suffer for some time due to the unavailability of drinking water.
Nevertheless, the voters of the center helped the officers and arranged for a drinking water facility. In Wildlife conflict zones including regions across Siddapura, Kushalnagar and Virajpet, a Range Forest Officer alongside a Rapid Response Team equipped with weapons were deployed to ensure the safety of the voters. Armed Forces from Gujarat guarded the naxal sensitive booths across the district including at Karike and Sampaje areas.
A tragic incident was, however, reported at a polling station in B Shettigeri of South Kodagu. Manohar (58), a traditional drummer who played the ‘chande’ instrument, died of a heart attack outside the polling station.
Sources confirmed that he waited in the queue and cast his vote. However, he collapsed outside the polling center after he suffered a heart attack and died.
Outside a polling centre in Madikeri, the officials forcefully shut down shops that were located within 200 meters from the St Michael School polling station. However, DC Venkat Raja intervened and withdrew the closing down order. He, however, cautioned the shopkeepers not to allow campaigning from political parties at the shops.
Venkat Raja, SP K Ramarajan and CEO Varnit Negi cast their votes at the taluk office in Madikeri and later visited the Raja Seat tourist spot to urge residents to go vote. While most of the tourist centers were open in the district, the Dubare Camp was shut for tourist visits as this was turned into a polling station for the tribal voters.
source: http://www.newindianexpress.com / The New Indian Express / Home> Karnataka / by Prajna GR / April 26th, 2024
A few months back, the actor known for his work in Ram Leela and Dahaad, Gulshan Devaiah spoke to Filmfare. He was honest and did not shy away from answering questions about his relationship with his ex-wife, his equation with Anurag Kashyap and his overall journey in the industry.
When asked about his equation with Sanjay Leela Bhansali and his experience of working with him, the actor said, “ People say Sanjay Leela Bhansali has a short temper, but this is not the case. Like other directors, he does not communicate openly with you. People are hesitant to talk to him. But I would share my ideas with him without hesitation.”
He further went on to add, “He became fond of me. He’d listen to me. He pays close attention to detail. He takes an entire day to frame a single shot. Perhaps some would find this strange, but when the film is finished, the meticulous detailing stands out. As an actor, he allows you to do whatever you want. However, during editing, he will only retain what he has instructed you to do, not what you have done on your own.”
Now, the actor will soon be seen in the Janhvi Kapoor starrer Ulajh. The film is directed by Sudhanshu Saria and will be released in cinemas on July 5.
source: http://www.filmfare.com / Filmfare.com / Home> News> Bollywood / by Filmfare / May 28th, 2024
India’s High Range Coffee Curing is poised to become the first farm verified by the Rainforest Alliance to ship EUDR–ready coffee beans to Europe later this month.
The coffee farm partnered with the Rainforest Alliance to meet the necessary compliance requirements of the regulation.
Established in 1995, High Range Coffee Curing is located in the Periyapatna and Kushalnagar Coorg districts, among 142 hectares of tropical forests, and is known for its quality beans.
The farm supplies coffee to leading global coffee brands, roasters and traders in India, including Nestle , Unilever, E-Com Commodities, Olam, Continental Coffee, Louis Dreyfus Company , Vidya Coffee and Allanasons.
Zaidan M Saly, director of High Range Coffee Curing stated, “Implementing EUDR [EU Deforestation Regulation] posed significant challenges for our team, but with the invaluable guidance from Rainforest Alliance representatives in our region, we overcame them and gained confidence in the process.
“Their expertise made the seemingly daunting task entirely feasible, facilitating a smooth and successful implementation, which now not only guarantees adherence to EUDR regulations but also sparked a revolution in our approach to traceability.”
Rainforest Alliance certification enables coffee and cocoa farmers to opt in for EUDR-aligned criteria.
This allows companies to source from these farms, track ingredients along their supply chains, and leverage farm data to demonstrate compliance with the regulation’s deforestation risk assessment and mitigation requirements by the deadline, at no additional cost.
Miguel Gamboa, coffee sector lead at the Rainforest Alliance stated, “The EUDR represents an important step forward to shift the global coffee sector towards more sustainable practices.
“Yet, many smallholder coffee farmers need support to align with the requirements, including traceability, deforestation risk mapping, local laws, and practical and technical guidance on key environmental practices.”
The Rainforest Alliance has urged the EU Commission not to dilute or delay the legislation or postpone its deadline in response to calls from some companies and governments.
It has also called on companies not to scale back purchases from smallholder coffee farmers, but rather support them in meeting the deadline of this legislation.
Gamboa added, “We are also piloting a deforestation risk assessment offering for companies buying non-certified coffee and cocoa, which we plan to roll out more widely later this year.
“With this offering, we aim to support more companies in their journey to compliance, but more importantly, to also reach non-certified farmers so their products can still be sold on the EU market.”
source: http://www.esmagazine.com / ESM, European Supermarket Magazine / Home> Supply Chain / by Dayeeta Das / May 06th, 2024
The department had proposed for the release of Rs 8.38 crore as a drought relief fund to be distributed among the farmers of the district.
Image used for representational purposes only,(File photo | EPS)
Madikeri :
A total of 17,297 farmers across Kodagu have been distributed with the drought relief fund from the state. Sources confirmed that many other pending applications are still under scrutiny and will be disposed of shortly.
All five taluks in Kodagu were declared as drought-hit regions this year from the state and over 20,000 farmers from the district applied to avail compensation for the crop loss.
As per the applications received by the agriculture department, 7620.74 hectares of paddy farmland and 2170.36 hectares of maize farmland were affected by drought in total across all the taluks.
The department had proposed for the release of Rs 8.38 crore as a drought relief fund to be distributed among the farmers of the district.
However, applications of 17,297 farmers from the district have been approved so far in ten phases and they have been handed over the total drought relief fund of over Rs 2.83 crore.
Joint Director of the agricultural department, Somasundar confirmed that 17,297 farmers have received only part payment of the drought relief even as applications of 3,263 farmers are still under scrutiny and will be finalized shortly. While a few applications are pending due to technical errors, others are under verification process.
Over Rs 5.54 crore funds are still pending to be distributed to the farmers as per the memorandum submitted to the state from the department.
The Ponnampet taluk is the worst hit region in the district as over 3825 hectares of paddy land has been reportedly affected by drought. A total of 5155 farmers from the region applied for drought relief.
In Somwarpet taluk, 1161 hectares of paddy and 470 hectares of maize farmlands have been affected by drought even as over 7,000 farmers applied for the compensation.
1972 hectares of paddy field in Madikeri and 650 hectares in Virajpet were hit by drought even as 1700 hectares of maize farmland was hit by drought across Kushalnagar taluk.
DC Venkat Raja confirmed that Rs 2.83 crore funds have been so far released to farmers and this includes a minimum compensation amount of Rs 1,000 and a maximum compensation of Rs 2,000 to the affected farmers.
source: http://www.newindianexpress.com / The New Indian Express / Home> Karnataka / by Prajna G R / May 29th, 2024
Madikeri:
Three journalists have been selected for the Annual Awards given by the Kodagu Press Club.
A.N. Vasu’s report titled ‘Yejentara Mosakke Baliyagi Videshadalli Silukida Mahile’ published in Shakthi Daily has been selected for Best Effective Report Award, instituted in memory of senior journalist K.B. Mahantesh.
P.V. Akshay’s (AG) report in Star of Mysore (SOM) titled ‘Daredevil Act by Kodagu-born Vet Saves Leopard in Mangaluru’ has been selected for Best Humanitarian Report Award, instituted by Koovarkolli Indresh and family in memory of his father B.V. Chandrashekhar and mother Pushpalatha.
Imanda Gopal Somaiah’s report ‘Madikeriyalli Maragala Maaranahoma,’ telecast on TV9 Kannada, has been selected for Best Environmental Report Award, constituted by M.N. Chandramohan in memory of his father M. Narayana and mother N. Padmavathi.
Each of the three awards includes a cash prize of Rs. 5,000 and a plaque. The awards ceremony will take place in Madikeri on June 2 at 12 noon.
source: http://www.starofmysore.com / Star of Mysore / Home> News / May 29th, 2024
With my father B.C. Machaiah (Retired. Police Officer) — Parane, Kodagu District, India
As I stood amidst the serene beauty of my hometown in Kodagu (Coorg) district, watching the funeral pyre of my father blaze against the backdrop of our ancestral lands, I found myself enveloped in a tapestry of memories and wisdom that he had bequeathed to me. My father, a dedicated police officer who served and protected his community passed away on April 25, 2023, at the age of 85, led a life that was a testament to living with integrity, simplicity, and a profound commitment to service.
In the quiet moments of reflection that followed his passing, I was reminded of the lessons he imparted, lessons that were as simple in their wording as they were deep in their meaning: Eat lightly, drink moderately, exercise regularly, and love excessively. But beyond these, he emphasized a philosophy that has become the bedrock of my understanding of life — serving something higher than yourself and contributing meaningfully to society.
Growing up in India, a land steeped in spiritual diversity and tradition, I had the privilege of witnessing the embodiment of true wisdom through my father’s everyday actions. Unlike the narratives that often glorify the path of renunciation for enlightenment, my father’s life story was a powerful narrative of engagement. He believed in being fully present in the world, embracing the gamut of experiences it offers — love, loss, laughter, and learning — while maintaining a sense of detachment from the outcome and expectations that often entangle us.
This philosophy was not born in isolation but was a product of India’s rich cultural and spiritual milieu. Accompanying my father on his police duties during significant religious events, I encountered monks and ascetics from multiple faiths, many of whom had descended from their secluded retreats in the Himalayas. Observing the crowds that gathered to seek blessings and wisdom from these spiritual figures, I am reminded of the profound conversations with my father. He often said, “Son, it is important to embrace the world fully and go through it all — love, loss, learn, laugh, and through it all live and thrive! Be in the world, but not of this world.”
This simple yet profound message has stayed with me, shaping my understanding of what it means to live a fulfilled life. It is not the ascetic’s withdrawal from the world that defines wisdom and fulfillment but the everyday person’s courage to face life’s challenges with integrity and love. My father’s life was a testament to this belief. He lived not as a monk in search of enlightenment but as a man deeply rooted in the world, dedicated to protecting his community, caring for his family, and living a life of service.
As I navigate through my roles as a son, a father, family, and citizen, I am guided by the legacy of my father’s wisdom. It is a reminder that true fulfillment and integrity come not from escaping the world but from engaging with it passionately, responsibly, and with compassion. So let us not get carried away by becoming monks and celebrating those who had some experiences in those roles. Let us celebrate those admist us today who are making a difference in communities where they live and serve — real people, real stories, real heroes!
In sharing this legacy, I aim to inspire others to recognize the beauty and depth in the everyday acts of courage, love, and service that define a truly fulfilled life. Let us celebrate the unsung heroes who, like my father, teach us that wisdom lies in living a life deeply rooted in the world yet not bound by it.
source: http://www.medium.com / Medium.com / Home / by Poonacha Machaiah / March 03rd, 2024
I’m from Coorg, also known as Kodagu. It’s a small, beautiful district in Karnataka (which is in South India). Last month, I had the pleasure of going back there for a few days after a rather long absence. Among many other things, it provided me an opportunity to learn about how the coffee growing works from the perspective of a business. The last few years, have been very difficult for the coffee industry in Coorg.
Many of my relatives are involved in growing coffee and most of what I want to discuss here is likely familiar knowledge to most planters. My primary aim with this article is to organize knowledge that many people already have in their heads — and in doing so make the problem of raising revenue for coffee growers easier to tackle.
Furthermore, I’m by no means an expert in this. Please feel free to comment or respond to me with any critique of the ideas outlined here.
The obvious problem is simple. Coffee prices are low, and labour cost is increasing so it is difficult to make profit. On average, the estates just about break even (this is anecdotal, I don’t have stats for it if anyone does, please get in touch!). Many people rely on the one bumper crop every 7 or 8 years in order to build savings and capital to reinvest into the estate.
Naturally, this means that there is a spread — some estates make losses, some make profits. People who make losses end up having to sell their estates and this is slowly leading to a dilution of the culture in Coorg, which from my personal perspective, is a very sad thing.
Today, increasing the profit for planters is an issue that many people are trying to tackle both individually as well as in small groups. There are many ways to increase profits available to planters. The large categories are as follows:
Eg: Improving the percentage of high quality beans.
Eg: Reduce loss of produce to pests etc.
Eg: Use either better practices or investment in technology to reduce cost of growing coffee in all stages.
Eg: Sell coffee on Amazon and advertise on Facebook
Of these, I believe the area which could produce the best results is to improve marketing and go direct to consumer i.e. currently there is a knowledge gap that is preventing planters from getting good prices for their crops, and this is the root issue.
To explain why, we need to visually organize a coffee business and discuss the impacts of each possible way to increase profit.
Let’s go through each one.
The hypothesis here is “increasing the quality of coffee produced is the best way to increase profit”.
Of course better coffee will fetch better prices. Also, no matter what other actions are taken, coffee will need to be at least a threshold quality because of how it connects to “reputation”. Soomanna from HumbleBeanCoffee was kind enough to tell me about how important it is to keep abreast with increasing global standards of coffee, stagnation here has a lot of downside risk and is definitely important to focus on, and they’re doing an amazing job from what I can tell.
It’s also true that the taste of coffee is highly subjective and it’s my opinion that there may be a consensus on what “bad coffee” is, but the “best coffee” has no right answer. So the way I see it right now, investing on improving quality is likely to have diminishing returns after a point — where based only on quality alone (and not also other actions) it will take more and more effort (and hence cost) to continue to increase quality. There’s a point when you are already making very good coffee where you should start seeing diminishing returns on further investment if this is not paired with marketing.
The hypothesis here is “increasing the yield per acre of the estate is the best way to increase profit”.
Similarly to quality, again we have a situation where it will cost increasingly more, and at some point just be impossible to increase yield per acre significantly.
It’s likely that this will require significant capital to even begin tackling (especially on the route of automation and machinery).
If better practices are easy to implement, then they should definitely be put in place — but we still run up against this wall that at some point the costs are just not going to reduce any further.
Many people are already taking initiative to improve marketing and in some cases even sell directly to customers. This is possible now because targeted online advertisements have reduced the upfront investment required to reach out to people who are interested in coffee specifically. Indeed, I came across several Indian coffee brands where previously only Coffee Day seemed to exist.
To be clear, there some hurdles to get through in order to successfully do this, because it requires getting into aspects of the coffee supply chain.
However, the upside is also very great. Here’s how one can generally expect marketing to impact sales.
It’s important to mention again that basic quality standards must also be in place — marketing coffee that doesn’t taste good might get an initial wave of customers, but people aren’t going to keep buying it.
In my personal opinion, the marketing solution is very underutilized in Coorg right now. Part of it is possibly because the younger Coorgs who have experience in digital marketing and the like, aren’t currently very involved in coffee.
Ideal goals and reality are different, but my personal experience is that setting lofty and idealistic goals is a great way to start looking for solutions. So I’m going to try to paint that ideal picture and if it makes sense then perhaps we can try to move toward it. Even if it doesn’t work out completely, hopefully the idea can leave us better off than where we are today.
Coorg is a district of great pride and heritage. Given the right contexts, Coorgs can be very passionate about this: just look at the Hockey Festival!
Can we create a similar excitement about Coffee? That sort of passion is what comes before great successes.
Coming together as a community behind the shared banner of “Coorg Coffee” can allow us to reap the greatest reward from any marketing and branding effort. To create a competitive vibe like the Hockey Festival we could do something similar like having multiple family-blends where many estates from the same family pool together to create their own unique blend. This could then be sold in a packing like this which allows both unified brand identity as well as individual expression.
To top it all off, having a yearly Kodava Coffee Festival would certainly keep people awake with excitement.
Coming together as a community to create an image for Coorg Coffee, and a process to back it can overcome the main challenges. Sharing knowledge within the community gives us a larger base to experiment and hence improve processes we use for things like roasting. Delivering the coffee under a shared brand allows us to overcome the limits on quantity that small estates have if they try to market individually.
I must restate: I’m no expert in coffee. There will be innumerable challenges on this road, many of which you have faced and know far better than I do. However, if we could come together as a community with the goal of making coffee growing more lucrative for the whole district, I’m sure we would meet with more success than having multiple disparate efforts to do the same.
Do comment! I know a lot of people feel strongly about this. It would be amazing if there was a healthy discussion in the comments!
source: http://www.medium.com / Medium.com / Home / by Sharat Chinnapa / published in The HumAln Blog / May 23rd, 2021
Growing up on a coffee plantation in South India, I have been exposed to the coffee-growing community my whole life. Now, as a third-generation coffee farmer, my aim is to create a coffee plantation that uses generational knowledge of coffee production and adopt new techniques to create coffee that is unique and eco-friendly. Below, I will try and detail out the learnings that I have gained first-hand and also share my understanding of what the future holds for the growers of the most consumed product around the world — coffee.
Coffee was introduced to India about 400 years ago and may have been planted first under the shade of forest trees on the Chandragiri Hills in Chikmagalur district, Karnataka. A typical South Indian coffee estate is a micro eco-system by itself and is grown very differently than in high-producing coffee nations like Colombia and Brazil. The big difference is ‘shade’ and in South India, shade is aplenty with a large number of indigenous trees and shrubs. Plenty of coffee farmers here choose to grow coffee under shade due to the numerous benefits that come from it and also the staggeringly high costs of shade-lopping (essentially chopping the canopy of a tree). Studies suggest that shaded coffee is more natural and eco-friendly and significantly reduces the number of pests, especially the infamous coffee berry borer. However, on the ground, the yield per acre for coffee grown under shade is significantly lower compared to its counterpart.
Shaded Coffee Plantation
Fungai growth indicating a healthy ecosystem.
There are three primary varieties of coffee plants that we deal with in South India. Arabica coffee (Coffee Arabica) plants are typically small in size and are very delicate and require a fair amount of pruning and constant attention. Arabica coffee is the most common coffee plant and usually has a sweeter, more delicate flavour and is usually less acidic. The second variety is Robusta coffee (Coffee Canephora) which I am most familiar with due to a large number of robusta plants in my family’s estate. This coffee is most common in Europe, Middle East, and Africa and is known for its strong and often harsh flavour profile. The robusta plants are far more robust than compared arabica plants and are less susceptible to diseases. Although the taste is not as popular as the arabica coffee, I believe that shade-grown robusta coffee is just in the beginning of its journey and the multitude of flavour profiles being created will lead to it being as popular as Arabica coffee in the future. Lastly, we have Liberica, often known as tree coffee due to the plant growing akin to a tree. They grow in specific climates and production of this type of coffee is not high. The beans however are considered a rare treat, with many who’ve tried the coffee liken the aroma to fruit and flowers and having a woody/earthy taste. More details on the types of varieties can be found here.
Image is taken from slurp.coffee
From a coffee grower’s perspective, the future of coffee is filled with potential and pitfalls and from first glance, there are plenty more pitfalls than potential. For instance, in India, coffee prices have been stagnant for a number of years, and post COVID, coffee prices are set to fall more. The drastic change in weather patterns is also significantly harming coffee production. Shortage of labour has become a big issue as predicted with estates having as little as 3 labourers for over 100 acres of coffee estate.
I do want to point out, however, that there have been some innovative and crafty methods that have been implemented in our ecosystem to continue sustainable & profitable coffee. Movement into making quality over quantity has significantly increased revenues for coffee farmers. Inter-cropping has diversified revenues and the increasing use of technology has increased yield and better supply chain management. I will highlight all of the solutions further below.
Coffee drying yard
With our labour shortage, we are unable to adequately produce high yields of coffee consistently over the years. In order to compensate for lower yields, we turned to increase the quality of our coffee beans in smaller areas of our estate. This allows for the smaller quantities of good grade coffee at a higher price and increases our revenues. Operating in smaller acreage allows for a more careful process of coffee growing and allowing for specific interventions to take place. For instance, we are able to prune coffee plants better, provide them adequate sunlight, increase water access when required, and even tailor fertilizers to individual plants.
The aim is to create micro-lots (small blocks) of coffee that have a variety of flavour profiles. This will help with the process of marketing it a certain way as well, which we believe will increase the value of the coffee. The overall plan is to have micro-lots produce coffee that is unique and marketable and achieve a price that matches the production of the remaining coffee-producing estate.
Another key method that we plan to use to diversify our revenues is by inter-cropping. We chose crops that complement coffee plantations and some of our successful interventions are pomelos, oranges, bananas, and avocados. One of the most productive crops that compliments coffee estates is pepper and it grows well with the indigenous trees that are present (not all trees work well, however). These trees provide vital ecological diversity and have very low maintenance and provide vital mulch that replenishes the soil and adds to the well-being of the coffee plantation.
Cash crops like paddy are also grown in low-lying areas but these require more financial and capital investments. We primarily grow to consume-in-house and not to make a profit. Small-holding farmers can benefit from inter-cropping much more than large land holding farmers and scientific interventions like maintaining soil quality, water quality & supply can drastically improve revenues made from a coffee plantation.
Agri-technology has grown leaps and bounds over the last decade. We have seen newer machinery, better weather management systems, and significant improvements in machinery for hulling, pulping, and roasting. However, on the ground, all these machines are still labour-intensive and are often out of reach to smallholding coffee farmers.
The most exciting improvement in the technology front comes with blockchains. Blockchain technology is redefining the coffee supply chain to increase transparency, efficiency, and win-win economic transactions that can help rectify the financial benefits of coffee production. Blockchain in the coffee supply chain is helping growers see where their beans end up and enables consumers to see where their coffee comes from. This technology can help ensure that growers are given fair payments for their crops and are maintaining sustainability practices. And it can allow consumers to make more informed decisions about where they should purchase their coffee.
The coffee board of India has already taken steps towards this, but this transition is still a couple of years away. The question is not any more an ‘if’, but instead of a ‘when’ blockchain technology will have an influence on coffee farmers.
India has seen a rise in coffee drinkers and the eco-system is full of new generation planters, coffee-roasters, and conscious consumers. Solutions are abundant with changing climates & markets and there is good enough reason to believe that Indian coffee will have its say in the global market very soon. Newer policy changes are required however and planters will be required to be more agile and adept with the variety of changing components in the ecosystem. However, newer methods and research into coffee production are trickling down and coupled with local knowledge, we should see a highly diverse coffee market within India in the next 10 to 15 years.
P.S — This was a very brief attempt to put down by recent learnings on paper. I will continue to edit this post based on newer and relevant findings. Until then, I will be sharing information on the coffee environment and things I find interesting on my Twitter — @aiyannabelly.
source: http://www.aiyannabelliappa.medium.com / Medium.com / Home / by Aiyanna Belliappa / June 17th, 2021
Forest, Environment and Ecology Minister Eshwar B Khandre said Rs 100 crore has been allocated to undertake a sapling plantation drive for this financial year.
Image used for representational purposes only.
Bengaluru :
Forest, Environment and Ecology Minister Eshwar B Khandre on Tuesday said the forest department’s revenue collection has increased and so has recovery of encroached land.
Khandre told the media that revenue has increased from Rs 263.41 crore in 2019- 20 to Rs 417.84 crore in 2023- 24. Reserved forest area has increased by 3395.73 hectares in 2023- 24, and protected area has increased by 184.52 hectares. The department has also recovered 2602.30 acres of encroached forest land worth Rs 1500 crore.
Khandre said the highest land recovery has happened in Kolar division, of 1392.41 acres of encroached forest land. Also, 5.50 acres have been cleared in Madikeri and 17 acres in Bengaluru’s Kothanur forest division. Around 7,500 acres of forest land in Kodagu, Chamarajanagar and Mysuru which were leased to industries and estates by the British will be recovered as soon as their lease period ends. He said companies which occupy these lands have earned crores of rupees.
The minister said Rs 100 crore has been allocated to undertake a sapling plantation drive for this financial year. In the last fiscal, 5.40 crore samples were planted across the state and a three-month audit is being done to know how many of them have survived.
On the task of filing up vacant posts in the department, Khandre said there are around 6,000 vacancies and steps are being taken to fill them up. In the first phase, 310 posts of watchers have been filled up and the process of recruiting 540 guards is under way. Directions have also been issued to conduct quick written exams to fill up posts in 10 forest zones.
source: http://www.newindianexpress.com / The New Indian Express / Home> Karnataka / by Express News Service / May 29th, 2024
