Tata joins AP’s efforts to market Araku coffee

Visakhapatnam: The Araku coffee industry in the Agency is set to receive a significant boost as the Tata Group, a prominent trading company, steps in to market the region’s renowned brew.

District collector Dinesh Kumar attended a video conference on Friday with Tata representatives at the ITDA hall. He assured them that the coffee beans supplied from the Agency would meet the organisation's grading standards. He highlighted the ongoing efforts to separate organic coffee from inorganic coffee.

The collector said new marketing strategies were being explored as the tribal farmers did not have trust in middlemen. He thanked Tata for its timely intervention and promised to design a unique coffee logo and secure its copyright, based on a request from the representatives.

Amit Pant, Tata Group executive vice president and business head, recounted his recent two-day visit to the Paderu Agency area to assess the quality of the coffee produced there. The VP confirmed that ITDA and the Coffee Board were ready to purchase and brand the coffee. Local farmers are receiving training to enhance the value of their coffee crops. He emphasised Araku coffee's global recognition and cited areas needing improvement after inspecting the plantations in Bhisupuram and Sunkara Metta.

The meeting was attended by Tata Group marketing lead manager Venkatesh Babu, ITDA AP (PTG) Venkateswara Rao, Coffee Board senior liaison officer Ramesh, AD Ashok, GCC Paderu, Chintapalle DMs Simhachalam and Devaraj, and district agriculture and horticulture officers SBN Nand and Ramesh Kumar Rao.