Keonjhar: A cocktail of ideal climate conditions and fertile soil in many areas of Keonjhar district offered a perfect platform for coffee plantations. The cash crop which was raised on an experimental basis has however failed to get off the mark due to lack of government support and drastic climate change.
Many experts are of the view that at a time when the mining sector is going through a slump leaving thousands of people jobless, giving impetus to coffee farming in several suitable pockets of this tribal-dominated district could come as a boon for poor locals as an alternative means of income.
According to reports, coffee farming was undertaken with the support of a private organisation in hilly and forested terrains and pockets under Bansapal block due to the suitable geo-climatic conditions, but it is on the brink of vanishing altogether due to lack of proper government support.
An entrepreneur Pritam Rathore had started coffee cultivation over seven acres of land at Uparkaipur in Champei panchayat in 2006 and was successful.
Locals say had the government taken a leaf out of the success of Rathore and encouraged tribals in the area to take up coffee cultivation, the area would have seen a sea of change, and living conditions of the people would have improved. Sadly, the cultivation that was taken up in some parts of the district has already vanished.
Despite odds, Rathore’s family has been engaged in coffee farming. Coffee is usually harvested in December and sold to Orissa Coffee Producers’ Association in Koraput.
“The problem is that climate change is impacting coffee cultivation. As a result, production is on the decline. Around 2.50 tonnes of coffee was collected from my garden in 2015 and production rose to 3 tonnes in 2016. Earlier, I used to collect 4 to 4.5 tonnes of coffee per annum, but this year, the yield will come down,” said Rathore.
He admitted that farming has not been lucrative for him in the absence of marketing facilities in the area. “Coffee plantations help in conserving the environment while at the same time generating employment for several persons. However, the main problem is absence of marketing facilities in the area. I have to send the coffee to Koraput, which is around 700 km from here, and the high transport costs are not offset by the sales, which severely eats into losses,” Rathore explained.
Rathore admits that it is certainly a profit-making business, but he cannot take the risk of expanding further due to lack of a support system. Hardly anyone is keen on venturing into this business for this reason, he said.
The coffee produced here is better in quality and is much in demand in various parts of the country, Rathore informs.
Coffee cultivation was also taken up at Taramkant in Bhuyanpidi area under Bansapal block on public-private partnership, but it has now completely vanished for various reasons. Quality coffee was being produced and it was export grade quality. The joint venture had made profits.
Though locals had repeatedly demanded for its revival, the government allegedly did not evince interest in it. After the cultivation vanished, scores of Bhuyan tribals engaged in the plantations lost their jobs.
The company closed down in 2004 due to faulty management and large-scale irregularities. The government lost crores of rupees while the Kolkata-based private company abandoned the business without clearing the wages of locals. The matter has long been sub-judice in court.
Later, some locals tried to carry on with coffee farming through cooperative societies, but failed due to lack of government support.
Educationist Anil Kumar Das said concerted efforts should be made to promote coffee cultivation.
Ramakant Swain, principal of Pateswar Mahavidyalay, said, “Coffee gardens were once favourite haunts of tourists in Keonjhar. Those visiting Khandadhar used to enjoy coffee gardens, which have now vanished.” PNN
