Tripura possesses huge potential for coffee cultivation

Agartala, Dec 17 (UNI) Tripura possesses huge potential for cultivation of coffee as both weather and soil of this North Eastern hilly state is conducive to this purpose.

The Union Government with the help of the state government had taken all necessary steps to cultivate coffee in remote areas.

A Union Government official told UNI here that the Centre had taken initiative to encourage poor people, mainly the tribal jhumias, to cultivate coffee as an alternative of jhum cultivation in a bid to uplift their financial condition.

After Mizoram, Meghalay and Nagaland, though Tripura had made a huge progress in cultivation of coffee, still no trader was coming from outside the state to purchase the produce due to small quantitiy.

The Rubber Board, was however, working as a facilitator and collecting coffee from the growers.

After collection, the concerned department send it to Guwahati for curing and from there it goes to auction market in South Indian states. For transportation, the Union Government gives the growers subsidiy of an amount of Rs 10 per kg.

In the last year, six MT coffee was produced in this state, while it is expected that 13 to 14 MT coffee would be produced in the state. A kilo of coffee is sold at a price of Rs 50, the official said.

At present cultivation of coffee is undertaken in Tulakona and Mekhlipara in west district and Sabrooom in south district respectively during the ninth plan, and in the tenth plan cultivation has been taken up at Jampui hill in north district in a large area.

Once auction centre is set up in Guwahati, the growers of this region would be more benefited and would get more price, the official said.

The quality of coffee produced in the state as well other parts of the region is of good quality, he stated.

Though the quantity of coffee at the national level is 900 kg per hectare, in this state it is 100 kg per hectare, but for bearing farm area it is 450 kg per hectare, the official informed.

About 800 hectare of land bearing coffee plantation in the state under the Forest department are now in an abandoned condition due to various reasons.

Such land is seen at Baramura hill, Atharamura hill and Longtharai hill in West, Dhalai and North districts respectively and most of these are close to National Highway number 44. The main reason for the abandon was insurgency problem as workers could not work fearing attacks on them in the coffee plant areas, he said.

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