Discontent among coffee planters over dues out in open in Andhra's Araku

Growing discontent among coffee planters over unpaid dues from the government may emerge as a significant electoral issue in the Araku (ST) Lok Sabha constituency in Alluri Sitharama Raju district in Andhra Pradesh.

The YSR Congress is aiming to score a hat trick in the segment while the NDA is slugging it out to wrest the seat from the ruling party.

In 2019, YSRCP candidate G Madhavi won the seat with a margin of over two lakh votes.

This time the ruling party has fielded Chetti Tanuja Rani, a doctor, while former MP Kothaplalli Geetha, a BJP contestant, was pitted against her by the NDA.

Geetha won the seat in 2014 on YSRCP ticket and later floated her own outfit, which was merged with the BJP.

The CPI (M), as part of the INDI alliance also fielded P Appala Narsa, who may potentially split the opposition votes.

Perched at a height of 1000 m above sea level in the Eastern Ghats in Andhra Pradesh, Araku boasts of producing coffee beans with distinctive flavours which has gained recognition both domestically and internationally.

The crop which was initially started as an experiment in early 2000, is now grown across 2.30 lakh acres in the valley, which produces more than 15,000 tons of the commodity annually.

According to Gemmili China Babu, sarpanch of Sunkarametta village in Araku region and a planter himself, the plantation was earlier brought under MGNREGA and later the Centre stopped extending wages under it.

Despite the state government sending proposals to the central government to reverse its earlier order, there has been no reponse.

As many as 215,000 farmers, besides sellers and others from 10 mandals under Araku Lok Sabha segment depend on the coffee plantations.

China Babu said the plantations were raised in 2000 and picked up pace during former Chief Minister Rajasekhar Reddy's regime. The successive governments also encouraged it as the tribals started giving up Podu cultivation which is an ecological disaster.

The farmers are supposed to get a total of Rs 18,800 per acre for three years from 2019 as an incentive from the ITDA.

Despite several assurances by officials, from 2019 till date, a due amount of over Rs 60 crore is to be paid. There are over 58,000 farmers who have to receive the amount, he told PTI.

Though ITDA officials collected the account details of the farmers who are supposed to receive the amount, nothing has materialised so far.

V Abhishek, Project Officer of Integrated Tribal Development Authority (ITDA) Paderu said it is not due, but the Centre has removed coffee plantation from the MGNREGA many years ago.

Agricultural activities are covered under the MGNREGA. However, Coffee plantation comes under commercial crops and hence it was removed, the official said.

Another official of ITDA said they already received Rs 5.5 crore towards pending dues. But, could not release it as the Model Code of Conduct is in place due to ongoing general elections.

Appala Narsa said the issue of pending dues from the government is being highlighted in his poll campaign.

The ITDA and the state government have been extending support to planters by way of providing free saplings and other equipment required for cultivation, some farmers said.

The pending dues from the government is not a major issue. The real issue is providing marketing opportunities to the farmers who are forced to sell their commodity at lesser prices to middlemen and other businessmen, an official earlier associated with ITDA said.

Ram Kumar Varma, Founder and CEO of Native Araku Coffee, which has outlets at eight airports in India, said their blend is famous in several places.

We are buying about 100 tonnes of coffee beans from Araku farmers. We have our own grinding and blending facility in Visakhapatnam, he said, adding that their brand is also sold online.