Nandapur: Koraput district, long known as a tourism hub for its natural beauty, is now drawing visitors to its farmlands, where spice cultivation is taking root alongside coffee and linseed. Tourists are showing growing interest in ginger, turmeric, black pepper, cinnamon, cardamom, bay leaf, mustard and chillie, often buying produce directly and learning about farming methods, yields and income.
Many visitors, however, have voiced concern over the lack of incentives and market access for farmers. They urged that cultivators receive technical knowledge and proper support so that agriculture and tourism can be linked to benefit the district’s economy.
Agriculture scientists, including Parshuram Sial, Upendra Kumar Saha, Mihir Kumar Jena and Saurav Gupta, said Koraput has the potential to become a research and training hub for organic spice cultivation. Farmers, they added, could gain from better markets and targeted incentives.
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According to Sudam Biswal, deputy director of Horticulture, farmers in 14 blocks are cultivating spices on thousands of hectares: 1,550 hectares under black pepper, 61 hectares under cardamom, 4,223 hectares under ginger, 3,373 hectares under turmeric, 35.5 hectares under cinnamon, two hectares under bay leaf and 4,533 hectares under chillie.
Annual production figures include 115.5 tonne black pepper, 0.4 tonne cardamom, 58,119 tonne ginger, 9,020 tonne turmeric, 2.15 tonne cinnamon, two tonne bay leaf and 3,503 tonne chillies. This year, Nandapur block alone reported 120 hectares of black pepper cultivation, three hectares of cardamom, 875 hectares of ginger, 866 hectares of turmeric, one hectare of cinnamon, 597 hectares of chillie and 87 hectares of mustard. Other blocks, including Lamtaput, Semiliguda, Potangi, Laxmipur, Narayanpatna, Koraput, Bandhugaon, Baipariguda, Borigumma, Jeypore, Kotpad, Kundura and Dasmantpur also recorded substantial spice cultivation.
Farmers said they are pursuing spice cultivation with limited technical knowledge and minimal incentives. Tourists visiting nearby destinations stop at these farms, speaking with farmers about cultivation, incentives and markets, and often purchasing produce.
Researchers and cultivators argue that adding spice farms to the tourism map, alongside Koraput’s established coffee and millet farms, would encourage farmers, promote the crops and strengthen the district’s economy. The farms could also provide a living laboratory for researchers.
District tourism officer Talina Pradhan said she would consult with Koraput Collector, the Agriculture and Horticulture departments and the Odisha Tourism Development Corporation to showcase spice farming. She added that efforts would be made to include farms and cultivation zones on the state tourism map.
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