The budgetary provisions for supporting coffee farmers have been warmly welcomed by the Coffee farmer organizations in the Wayanad district of Kerala, a major Robusta Coffee growing area in the country.
The minimum support price (MSP) for a kg of Robusta coffee has been increased to INR 90 by the Finance Minister T.M. Thomas Isaac in his budget speech.
Prasanth Rajesh, president, Wayanad Coffee Growers Association said that he welcomed such a change during this difficult time because of the low price of the products and higher price of input cost. The market price of the produce in Wayanad on Friday was INR 64 a kg as opposed to INR 72 a kg last year. Mr Rajesh added that Wayanad district has been producing more than 90,000 tons of Robusta raw cherry a year and if the government procured a substantial share of it at the MSP, it would be of great help for the farming community.
K.J Devasia, president, South Indian Coffee Growers’ Association is expecting financial assistance to the Brahmagiri project, a people initiative, to set up a coffee processing unit post this announcement. Opening kiosks under Kudumbashree units for selling value-added coffee products under the brand name of ‘Wayanad Coffee’ would also rejuvenate the industry, added Mr. Devasia.
Courtesy: Hindu