Coffee farmer organisations have welcomed the budgetary provisions for supporting coffee farmers in Wayanad district, a major Robusta coffee growing area in the country.
Finance Minister T.M. Thomas Isaac in his budget speech on Friday increased the minimum support price (MSP) for a kg of raw Robusta coffee to ₹90.
“At a time when coffee growers in the district are reeling under severe crisis owing to the low price of the produce and and higher input cost, we welcome the announcement’, Prasanth Rajesh, president, Wayanad Coffee Growers Association, told The Hindu.
The market price of the produce on Friday in Wayanad was ₹64 a kg as against ₹72 a kg last year.
The announcement would give a fillip to the industry but, the MSP was nowhere near the recommendations of the M.S. Swaminathan Commission, Mr. Rajesh said.
“Wayanad district has been producing more than 90,000 tons of Robusta raw cherry a year,” Mr. Rajesh said adding that if the government procured a substantial share of it at the MSP, it would be of great help for the farming community.
“We welcome the announcement of Dr. Isaac to fix MSP and a financial assistance to Brahmagiri project, a people initiative, to set up a coffee processing unit,” K.J. Devasia, president, South Indian Coffee Growers’ Association, said.
Opening kiosks under Kudumbashree units for selling value-added coffee products under the brand name of ‘Wayanad Coffee’ would also rejuvenate the industry, Mr. Devasia are dependent on the sector.
