Centre to announce special package for coffee replantation

Bangalore, June 9 (UNI) The Centre will soon come out with a special package of funds, on the lines of the one announced for tea replantation, to ensure replantation of coffee in over 90,000 hectares in the country.

Union Minister of State for Commerce Jairam Ramesh today told reporters here that bankers, who had attended a meeting earlier in the day, agreed to support a long-term finance package in this regard. The Centre had recently announced a package of Rs 4,500 crore for replantation of tea in the Northern States, he recalled.

Replying to queries, he said around Rs 600 crore were needed for the coffee replantation scheme, for which a special purpose coffee fund would be set up.

The Indian coffee industry was unable to compete with other coffee growing countries because of its aged plants. ''Unless we go in for replantation, the industry will not improve,'' he observed.

The minister said the Coffee Board would work out the details and the proposal would be sent to the Finance Ministry for approval by the end of July. The fund would be released from next year, he assured.

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