The Hindu Business Line : Branded coffee from APFDC

ANDHRA PRADESH will soon have its own brand of coffee in the Indian markets. The Andhra Pradesh Forest Development Corporation Ltd (APFDC) is getting ready to launch its superior grade filter coffee powder blended with 30 per cent chicory under its brand in Visakhapatnam, Vizianagaram and Srikakulam districts.

The value-added coffee powder is named "Ananthagiri Premium Coffee" and its price is yet to be decided, according to Mr B.A.B. Prasad, Divisional Manager of the corporation.

He told Business Line that test marketing of the coffee powder had been already done and that the response to the product was good. The coffee would be marketed through Government agencies such as super bazaars, Gruhamitra, Andhra Pradesh Tourism Development Corporation, Visakha Co-operative Dairy and Girijan Co-operative Corporation in 200 and 100 grams pouches. Later it would be made available in 500 gm pouches.

After examining the market in the three districts, the product would be introduced in due course in other parts of the State. The three north coastal districts were chosen initially because most of the activity connected to the production of coffee was concentrated there, besides its proximity of the corporation's regional office at Visakhapatnam.

The marketing experience in the three districts would help APFDC to make strategic forays into other areas. There were plans to market about 260 tonnes of coffee powder in the next 12 months.

Ethiopian arabica and robusta coffee beans were chosen for the preparation of premium quality blended coffee. The coffee beans grown in the high hills of the eastern Ghats would be handpicked, roasted and ground. About 1,400 tonnes of coffee beans were harvested and sold annually and some exporters who bought the beans in public auction from APFDC were exporting them to the US and to countries in Europe and West Asia, Mr Prasad said.

Coffee is produced in the traditional, non-traditional and non-conventional areas in the country. The total production is estimated at 2,92,000 tonnes a year, of which 2,88,970 tonnes are from traditional areas.

In Andhra Pradesh, 2,660 tonnes of coffee is produced in non-traditional areas and 500 tonnes in non-conventional areas. Area-wise, coffee is cultivated in 3,40,306 ha in the country and of this, 3,06,950 ha were in the traditional areas of Karnataka, Tamil Nadu and Kerala.

While the non-traditional areas in Andhra Pradesh, Orissa, Madhya Pradesh and North-Eastern States account for 30,356 ha, 3,000 ha were in the non-conventional areas.

In Andhra Pradesh, cultivation of coffee was taken up on plantation scale by the Forest Department in 1960s and later by APFDC. An extent of 13,175 ha in the tribal belt has been brought under cultivation with the help of the Central and State Governments.

The area under coffee plantations of APFDC is more than 4,000 ha. In addition, the Coffee Board and private growers have plantations in 65 and 69 ha respectively.

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