The Kodagu district administration on Friday conducted a meeting to develop Raja Seat, which is a popular tourist attraction in Madikeri.
Deputy Commissioner B.C.Satish instructed the officials to prepare a blueprint to develop the existing place into a ‘Greater’ Raja Seat.
He directed the Horticulture Department to take up the repair of the musical fountain which is defunct, on a priority basis. Similar instructions were issued to restore the functioning of the toy train.
The Coorg Village which has already been inaugurted, should start functioning immediately, said the Deputy Commissioner while the offiicals suggested the installation of a high mast lamp in the vicinity.
It was also decided to organise a Coffee Mela to coincide with Christmas when the town and the district is visited by hordes of tourists, apart from conducting cultural programmes during holidays.
Incidentally, the previous round of development works carried out by the authorities had come under flak from conservationists on the grounds that the place was being concretised and its beauty being eroded.
source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> States / by Special Correspondent / Mysuru – November 26th, 2021
Coffee Board CEO and Secretary K.G. Jagadeesha, on Tuesday, visited the rain-hit coffee estates of Mudigere taluk and interacted with the coffee planters about the problems they had been facing in recent days.
Heavy rains in parts of Chikkamagaluru and Hassan districts have impacted the yield. The growers have not been able to harvest the yield. Those, who have harvested the crop, are finding it difficult to dry coffee beans.
The officer visited an estate at Balur, owned by B.R.Balakrsihna, president of Mudigere taluk of Coffee Growers’ Association. The growers also submitted a memorandum to the officer.
Karnataka Growers’ Federation president H.T.Mohan Kumar, former presidents D.B. Subbe Gowda, B.S. Jairam and others were present.
source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindi / Home> News> States> Karnataka / by Special Correspondent / Hassan – November 16th, 2021
With rainfall still continuing to lash parts of Kodagu, the growers are faced with a herculean task of picking the beans in the rain.
The wood fire installed by coffee grower Vikas to dry beans.
Madikeri :
The change in the weather pattern has increasingly affected the coffee growing sector in Kodagu. As rainfall continues to lash the district in November, the coffee growers are struggling to save what is left of the coffee yield.
The coffee picking season for Arabica variety begins in November and the picked ripened beans are to be dried under the sun. However, with rainfall still continuing to lash parts of Kodagu, the growers are faced with a herculean task of picking the beans in the rain. Further, the collected beans cannot be dried in the rainfall and many growers are building make-shift stoves to save the ripened beans.
K Vikas, a coffee grower in Makkanduru village has raised a make-shift stove to dry the ripened coffee beans. Coffee beans, which are usually dried under the sun, are now being dried on a wood fire stove. “The bad weather condition has forced us to take this non-traditional method of drying coffee beans,” Vikas explained.
Meanwhile, the ripened beans without drying do not possess any demand in the market and are not bought by the traders due to the existing risks concerning the weather. “The coffee curing centres will not accept yield that has a mixture of ripened and unripened beans; the cost of separating these two beans cannot be managed by the growers in the current scenario. The curing centres are also sceptical about purchasing un-dried coffee following the present weather condition,” explained BN Ramesh, a coffee trader in the district.
The unseasonal rain had already inflicted heavy loss to many growers as the coffee plants witnessed increased droppings and rotting. The continuation of rainfall in the month of November is now threatening to wipe out what is left of the crop damage.
source: http://www.newindianexpress.com / The New Indian Express / Home> States> Karnataka / by Pragna GR, Express News Service / November 14th, 2021
Here is a chance for coffee growers to get additional cash from their plants throughout the year apart from income from the sale of beans. Mysuru-based Central Food Technological Research Institute (CFTRI) has developed a technology to prepare a value-added product from coffee leaves that packs in health benefits too.
Coffee is only harvested for a few months every year, depending on the country’s harvest season. This can leave a number of producers and workers without work (and income) for a significant portion of the year.
Pushpa S. Murthy
However, some producers have decided to diversify the crops that they grow and sell. As coffee leaves are constantly being produced, growers can harvest them in the off-season if there is demand, according to Pushpa S. Murthy, Principal Scientist (Spice and Flavour Science Department) of CFTRI.
This technology follows a CFTRI project on the development of value-added products from coffee leaves taken up in 2019. The project was funded by the Union Ministry of Food Processing Industries.
If farmers can use the leaves which can be harvested during the off-season or during pruning, without interfering with coffee bean growth, it will have a great impact on the social elevation of coffee farmers, she said.
Around 70 percent of the coffee industry is unemployed or underemployed during nine months of the year due to the nature of the growth cycle of the coffee beans. The project aimed to provide a year-round sustainable process for the coffee farmers.
With CFTRI technology, the brew can be prepared with water, allowed for a few minutes to steep, filtered and consumed. The institute has initiated the transfer of this technology to the coffee industry, and a few industry participants have already extended their consent, she said.
The leaf brew does not really taste like coffee, according to Murthy. “The brew is subtle with less caffeine compared to coffee or tea,” she said. On the nutritional value of the beverage, she said coffee leaves are rich in phenolic acids with potential health benefits. A coffee leaf contains around 17 percent more antioxidants than green tea. The beverage should be consumed plain.
The beverage accords health-promoting polyphenols like chlorogenic acid and mangiferin which help in reducing blood glucose levels, inflammation and blood pressure, she said.
Leaf drink ‘kuti’ and ‘kahwa daun’ popular in Sumatra, Ethiopia
Coffee leaf tea has been consumed in Sumatra, Ethiopia, Jamaica, Java and Sudan for centuries. From the 16th century to the 19th century, Ethiopian farmers set aside their harvested coffee for trade or consumption in special ceremonies. As a day-to-day drink, the Harari people in Ethiopia instead enjoyed ‘kuti’.
‘Kuti’ tea was made by boiling coffee leaves in hot water, sometimes with a pinch of salt or some sugar. It was generally boiled for at least 30 minutes, as it was believed that the longer the leaves were boiled for, the sweeter the resulting brew would be.
Coffee leaf tea bears some similarities to green tea, but it is more earthy and sweeter. It is lower in caffeine than green tea, and thanks to its high levels of antioxidants, it has historically been believed that it cures or relieves cold symptoms.
In the 19th century, Dutch colonists transported coffee plants to designated farming regions in Indonesia. Workers on the coffee plantations were forbidden from consuming the coffee they harvested, so they drank something called “kahwa daun” instead.
‘Kahwa daun’ was made by drying coffee leaves in the sun to reduce their bitterness. The leaves were then smoked and roasted for a few hours. Finally, they would be steeped in boiling water, and then served in a coconut shell.
source: http://www.starofmysore.com / Star of Mysore / Home> Top Stories / November 14th, 2021
KG Jagadeesh, CEO and Secretary of the Coffee Board, told The New Indian Express, “This new variety of cuppa yields more, and has a good cupping quality.
For representational purposes
Bengaluru :
To boost coffee economy, help farmers and consumers, the Board has decided to promote a new variety of brew. To ease farmers into adopting the new variety of Chandragiri coffee, the board has asked the state and central government to provide planters a soft loan with lower interest rates and moratoriums.
KG Jagadeesh, CEO and Secretary of the Coffee Board, told The New Indian Express, “This new variety of cuppa yields more, and has a good cupping quality. The beans are bold and has a lot of resistance to leaf pests. The taste and quality of this variety is also good, but its acceptability among farmers is only 10 per cent. Since getting a subsidy is difficult, the board has asked the government to offer them soft loan schemes. Farmer will not clear their standing crop and sow fresh saplings and wait for five years, without any returns. This issue needs to be addressed to have a better market.”
The Board is not just working on promoting Chandragiri in Karnataka and southern states of Tamil Nadu and Kerala, but to other Indian states like Odisha.
Jagadeesh said that the aim is to increase productivity, so that the exports and domestic sales also increase.
The Board officials pointed out that in Karnataka and southern regions, the most grown variety is Cauvery and Arabica, but assessment of samples have shown that Chandragiri is better. According to the Board’s statistics, the yield has been good at 1,037 kg per hectare of Arabica and Robusta in Karnataka in the year 2020-21.
source: http://www.newindianexpress.com / The New Indian Express / Home> States> Karnataka / by Bosky Khanna, Express News Sevices / October 21st, 2021
The industrial area in Kudloor. The first and the only KIADB industrial area in Kudloor in Kushalnagar is facing a lack of basic facilities. The layout is devoid of facilities and people are eagerly waiting for its upliftment.
Owing to the efforts of then chief minister Gundurao, the industrial area had come up at Kudloor in 1984.
There are more than 60 industrial units related to coffee, pepper and others that have come up in the industrial area. About 40% of them are related to coffee and its processing. Some of the food industries including ice cream, hollow bricks, iron and other industries are functioning. The annual turn out from coffee-related industries is Rs 4,000 crore, said Kudloor Kaigarikodyamigala Sangha president A N Praveen.
The industrial area has been completely neglected over the years. Owing to the pressure from the industrialists, pothole-ridden roads have been developed in the area.
According to KIADB officials, the government had sanctioned Rs 10 crore for the development of the industrial area. All the roads leading to various industrial layouts in the vicinity have been developed. The basic facilities will be improved in a phased manner.
Though 250 acres of land was acquired for industrial area, the khata of only 100 acres has been handed over. The remaining 150 acres has no khata. It is not even registered in the name of KIADB. As a result, several industrialists are denied facilities from the government, said, industrialists.
The industrial area has a lack of streetlights. As a result, people are scared to move around at night. Even drains are not constructed by the side of the road. Weeds have grown on either side of the roads.
There is an allegation that only coffee-related industries are set up in the industrial area. As a result, the employment generation is restricted and youth have been migrating to cities in search of greener pastures, said local residents.
There is even a lack of security in the industrial area. Theft cases too have been reported in the nights.
Department of Handlooms and Textiles assistant director Guruswamy said the department had submitted a proposal on setting up a mini power loom park at the industrial area in Kudloor. The deputy commissioner has given approval for the same.
Beeralingeshwara power loom will be set up in the future which will provide employment to women and men, he added.
Industries centre joint director Shankaranarayana said that a meeting to discuss the problems faced at the industrial area will be convened shortly at Koodumangalore Gram Panchayat hall. The officials from KIADB and others will attend the meeting.
Meanwhile, MP Pratap Simha has submitted a proposal to set up an ESI Hospital in Kodagu. Even land has also been identified for the hospital at Kudloor.
However, the process for the setting up of the hospital has not been initiated so far.
Vanijyodyamigala Sangha, Kodagu, president M B Devaiah said, “We have appealed to Union Minister Rajeev Chandrashekar to help in the generation of employment in the district.
source: http://www.deccanherald.com / Deccan Herald / Home> State> Mangaluru / b y DHNS, Kushalnagar / September 30th, 2021
The joint study found bird species richness to be higher in shade coffee plantations that had 78 species than in open coffee plantations that had 55 species
‘Alteration of canopy, woody plant composition can influence pattern of functional composition of resident birds’
Verdant coffee and tea plantations are more than an ideal backdrop for photos; they support a thriving avian population. In a study that underscores the need to understand the patterns and drivers of bird species composition and diversity outside Protected Area (PA) networks to develop landscape-level conservation strategies, researchers found that they varied in differently-managed plantations.
The findings were the result of collaborative work by Kannur University, Kerala, Salim Ali Centre for Ornithology and Natural History, Coimbatore, Ashoka Trust for Research in Ecology and the Environment (ATREE), Bengaluru, and Ferns Nature Conservation Society, Wayanad. It was published in July 2021.
Focussing on the coffee plantations in the Western Ghats, which are an important agro-ecosystem and help maintain a significant portion of regional avian diversity, the researchers compared the composition and functional diversity of resident birds between shade and open coffee plantations.
They counted 3,846 birds of 87 species, and found species richness to be higher in shade (78 species) than in open coffee plantations (55 species). “Interestingly, 32 species were unique to shade and nine were unique to open coffee plantations, with 46 species found in both types of plantation. Species richness and abundance were higher in shade coffee,” the study says, adding that the results reveal that different farm management practices can affect functional bird richness and its abundance in coffee plantations. They have made a case for retaining shade-trees of native varieties in coffee plantations to support high functional diversity, richness, and abundance of birds in the coffee plantation of the Western Ghats.
The study, ‘Resident birds show different patterns in species composition and functional diversity in differently managed coffee plantations in the Western Ghats, India’, was published by the Ornithological Science journal in July 2021.
Speaking to The Hindu, Santhanakrishnan Babu, one of the authors, said the study was conducted between May and August, 2016, in the northern part of Wayanad district. “Wayanad is a major coffee producer, producing 90% of the Kerala’s coffee. Our study aimed to understand how resident birds respond to differently-managed coffee plantations – shade and open,” he said.
The Kerala government recently passed an order to chop all resident trees on private land except sandalwood. This will lead to extensive chopping of resident trees from the coffee plantations which will affect biodiversity, he added.
Another author Athira S. Variar and Mr. Babu said retaining shade trees of native varieties in coffee plantations is important for supporting high functional diversity, richness, and abundance of birds. “Shade plantations support several habitat specialists and range-restricted birds, and alteration of the canopy and woody plant composition can influence the pattern of the functional composition of resident birds. Since our study covered only one season, year-round study in these plantations may shed more light on the composition of resident, breeding and migratory bird species,” they said.
Conservation strategies
They have called for landscape-level conservation strategies. Author Anoop N.R. pointed out that the Forest Department has little authority over the plantations located outside forest areas, and trees in these plantations are increasingly being replaced with exotic trees such as Grevillea robusta. “To promote the protection of large native trees in coffee plantations, we recommend initiating programmes to provide financial incentives to private landowners. Education programmes will also help to improve community support for retaining texisting indigenous tree varieties and promote planting more of the same,” he recommended, adding that a framework needs to be developed with regard to which species can be planted and which must be maintained, or removed, from the plantations.
source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> States> Karnataka / by K C Deepika / Bengaluru, October 04th, 2021
Deputy Commissioner Charulata Somal sips coffee at Raja Seat on Friday, on the occasion of International Coffee Day
Deputy Commissioner Charulata Somal said that the International Coffee Day celebrated in Kodagu, highlights the hard work of coffee growers, which is behind the taste of coffee.
She was speaking during the International Coffee Day programme observed by Rotary Misty Hills, at Raja Seat, on Friday.
The deputy commissioner added, “I got to know about every detail of coffee cultivation after I was posted to Kodagu. The dedication and effort by coffee growers in producing the best quality of coffee is commendable.”
Rotary Misty Hills president Anitha Poovaiah said that more than 1,500 visitors at Raja Seat were served coffee on account of International Coffee Day.
Rotary Deputy Governor H T Anil said that the quantity of coffee powder used by a person in India is 4 to 5 kg per year whereas, in a foreign country, a person uses 15 kg of coffee powder annually.
Therefore, there is a need to increase the usage of coffee in India, he added.
Misty Hills project director Devanira Tilak also spoke on the occasion.
Madikeri CMC commissioner Ramdas, horticulture department deputy director Sridhar, senior assistant director Pramod, Coffee Board deputy director Shivakumar Swamy and others were present.
‘Coffee export’
Kodagu Mahila Coffee Jagruthi Sangha distributed free coffee at various places in Madikeri on account of International Coffee Day.
The Coffee Day observed at Tadka House on Raja Seat Road was inaugurated by Kodava Samaja president K S Devaiah.
When the coffee industry was in distress women had started a unit to instil confidence in coffee growers in the district. The sangha has been promoting coffee consumption, said K S Devaiah.
Women have been actively engaged in managing coffee plantations and the industry. Kodagu’s coffee is known for its taste, he said.
Kodagu Coffee Growers’ Cooperative Society president M B Devaiah said the society is the largest coffee cooperative in Asia.
It is now mulling about exporting coffee and requires financial assistance from the government for exports, he added.
Advocate Pasura Preetham said the International Coffee Day is being observed since 2015.
Dr Mohan Appaji said that the consumption of coffee by those above 40 years is good for health.
Kodagu Mahila Coffee Jagruthi Sangha president Chitra Subbaiah, general secretary Anitha Nanda and others were present.
source: http://www.deccanherald.com / Deccan Herald / Home> State> Mangaluru / by DHNS, Madikeri / October 01st, 2021
The issue was discussed, among other things, in an interaction of Commerce Minister Piyush Goyal with coffee growers, roasters, exporters and other stakeholders at Coffee Board Head Office, Bengaluru.
Commerce Minister Piyush Goyal. (File)
The government will relook at the coffee law to make it suitable as per the present needs of the sector and facilitate its growth, the commerce ministry said on Saturday.
The issue was discussed, among other things, in an interaction of Commerce Minister Piyush Goyal with coffee growers, roasters, exporters and other stakeholders at Coffee Board Head Office, Bengaluru.
Coffee growers expressed concerns over losing their lands in view of the notices issued by banks under the Securitisation and Reconstruction of Financial Assets and Enforcement of Security Interest (SARFAESI) Act.
source: http://www.indianexpress.com / The Indian Express / Home> India / by ENS, Economic Bureau, New Delhi / September 19th, 2021
Moving our way right across the country towards the west, we go to Coorg from Bengaluru.
Day 22 of the #28States28Plates drive saw us leaving the hustle and bustle of Bengaluru city as we headed to a beautiful hilly region in Karnataka — Coorg. Also known as the Scotland of India, Coorg is famous for its coffee plantations, chilly climate and the amazing views.
There are three ways to get to Coorg from Bengaluru and because of our tight schedule, (the real reason was we just couldn’t wait to get there), we took the shortest route which passes through cities like Ramanagara (silk city) and Channapatna (city of toys). This highway is christened NH275, but the locals know it simply as Mysore road.
All the three routes from Bengaluru join-in at Mysore. It is to be noted that if you are taking the route we took, be ready to face a lot of diversions as some parts of this highway are still under construction.
After crossing Mysore, the road turned into a two-lane winding stretch of smooth tarmac with trees on both sides! It definitely was a sight to behold.
Now, our destination for the day was a town called Yevakapadi, situated in the hills of Coorg.
We reached there by lunchtime, at Bungalow 1934, where a friend of evo India, Amrith, had kindly invited us for lunch at his super famous estate — Bungalow 1934.
A place so pretty, a certain Gordon Ramsay chose to shoot his show Uncharted here!
We were in awe of the beautiful views from Amrith’s estate and just as we thought it couldn’t get better, Amrith set up a traditional Coorgi cuisine buffet for us. Pandi curry (pork stew), bamboo shoot curry, colocasia curry — a few of the dishes we enjoyed, along with a view to die for. To wash it all down was prepared-on-the-farm coffee liqueur and some bird’s eye chilli wine.
After that wonderful lunch, we headed to our abode for the night. King’s Cottage, a place situated just 15km from Amrith’s estate, but by the time we reached and rested for a bit, it was time for dinner time. So, the kind folks at King’s Cottage setup a much needed bonfire for us to enjoy our dinner. We were treated to simple but oh-so-delicious veg food with a view of the clouds, touched by bright moonlight, settling right in front of us in the valley. After chilling our bones to the cool blowing winds, we went straight to bed in our cozy little cottage.
This place was certainly a good detox from the city life and we loved it so much that we decided to take day 23 off for some rest.
Is Coorg a haven in the hills? We’d certainly say so!
Day 24 will see us reach the west coast of the country, Mangalore — via Kasargod.
source: http://www.evoindia.com / EvoIndia.com / Home/ by Team Evo India / August 22nd, 2021
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