Category Archives: Business & Economy

Sunalini Menon bags Specialty Coffee Association award

Business & Economy, Coffee News

Bangalore :

Sunalini Menon of Coffeelab India Limited has won the Alfred Peet Passionate Cup Award from the Specialty Coffee Association of America (SCAA) Seattle at the Washington State Convention Centre, Seattle, US.

The citation at the ceremony was read by Donald Schoenholt, one of the Founders and past President of the SCAA, who also presented the award to Sunalini Menon.

Sunalini Menon began her journey with coffee in 1971 and has been at the heart of India’s speciality coffee revolution since her early days as an assistance cupper at the Coffee Board of India.

In 1996 she set up a consulting service for the Indian coffee growers called Coffeelab Ltd.

Each year, the SCAA honours outstanding achievements in the speciality coffee industry and unique contributions to the association. Leaders have made contributions to the industry, resulting in the development and promotion of coffee excellence and sustainability.

source: http://www.thehindubusinessline.com / Business Line / Home> Markets> Commodities / by The Hindu Bureau / Bangalore – May 12th, 2014

Keep power line project off Kodagu, urges Greens

About Kodagu / Coorg, Business & Economy, Green Initiatives / Environment, Nature, Science & Technology

On the one hand, greens have been demanding to explore alternative routes to lay 400 kv high tension line between Mysore-Kozhikode, and on the other hand, Power Grid Corporation of India (PGCI) says that the alternative routes were discussed way back in 2009 and they were rejected.

The Members of Kaveri Sene, Coorg Wildlife Society and Kaveri Bachao Andolan have said that felling of trees will have its impact on the bio-diversity and environment of the region. Hence, the project should be kept out of the purview of the Kodagu district.

Power Grid Corporation Chief Manager C D Kishor told Deccan Herald that all the three suggestions put forth by the protesters were discussed and rejected.

The route proposed by the protesters are as follows:

Route 1—Upgrading 220 kv line that provided connectivity between Karnataka and Kerala. Upgrading of the line falls under Bandipura National Park.

After the implementation of Forest Conservation Act 1980, no development work can be initiated inside National Park where tigers habitate.

Hence, the proposal was rejected.

Route 2—Laying electric wire on D-line of Nagarahole National Park.
However, the route was rejected as the width of the D-line is only 15 metre. The width required for laying high-tension wire is 45 metres.

Hence, it would require felling of trees on minimum of 30 meter after the D-line. On an average about 17,515 trees would have been felled if the route was approved.
Hence, both the State and Central governments had rejected the suggestion.
Route3—Underground cable.

The proposal was rejected as it was an uphill task to lay underground cable for 55 kms. To lay underground cable, a separate road will have to constructed to take up repair work in the underground cable.

Present route

At present, the high-tension line will pass through Hunsur, Piriyapattana-Devamacchi forest-Maldare-Hundi-Mayamudi-Bekkesodlur-Nalkeri-Kutta-Kerala.

Delay in work

The length of Mysore-Kozhikode line is 210 kms. The line will pass through 92 kms in Kerala.

The work in Kerala and Mysore has been completed. Owing to the protest by environmentalists, the work was stalled in Kodagu district.

Technical committee

Following the protest, the State government has constituted a technical committee to explore the possible alternative routes.

The committee has been directed to submit report within 15 days.

Kaveri Bachao Andolan Convenor B C Nanjappa said “our concern is environment of the district. We had suggested three alternative routes. If it was not acceptable, then let the technical committee constituted by the government explore an alternative.”

source: http://www.deccanherald.com / Deccan Herald / Home> District / by Srikanth Kallammanavar , Madikeri / DHNS – May 06th, 2014

Coffee exports in April up 11% at Rs 535 cr

Business & Economy, Coffee News

Export realisation remained as high as Rs 1,68,362 per tonne in April, 2014
CoffeeKF10may2014

India’s coffee exports rose by over 11% in value terms at Rs 535.83 crore in April this year on better realisation following firm global prices, according to the Coffee Board.

Coffee shipments from India — the world’s fifth biggest exporter — stood at Rs 480.77 crore in the corresponding period of last year.

However in volume terms, coffee shipments fell by over 4% at 31,836 tonnes in April this year from 33,211 tonnes of shipments in the year-ago period.

“The export realisation remained as high as Rs 1,68,362 per tonne in April, 2014, against Rs 1,44,762 per tonne in the year ago because of better global prices,” a senior Board official said.

But the volume of coffee exports from India remained lower last month as domestic traders held back stocks anticipating recovery in global prices, which have firmed since February on likely drop in production in the world’s largest coffee producer Brazil, the official added.

According to the Board, the global coffee prices have already risen by more than 80% this year owing to concerns over drought conditions in Brazil and an outbreak of coffee leaf rust plant disease in Central America.

During last week of April, arabica-quality coffee prices at New York had touched 219 US cents on April 24 — the highest since February 2012. Robusta futures price for July had risen to $2,156 a tonne from $2,086 a tonne.

The Board official said that harvesting of coffee in the country has got over now. Overall domestic production is expected to be in line with the Board’s estimate of 3,11,500 tonnes for 2013-14 crop year (October-September), down by 2.1% from 3,18,200 tonnes produced in 2012-13.

India exports coffee largely to Italy, Germany, Belgium, Jordan, Turkey and Russia, among others.

source: http://www.business-standard.com / Business Standard / Home> Markets> Commodities> Food & Edible Oils / Press Trust of India / New Delhi – May 05th, 2014

Coffee at 26-month high as Brazil drought raises price volatility

Business & Economy, Coffee News

Coffee futures jumped as much as 8.3 per cent, driving volatility to the highest since 2000
CoffeeKF07may2014

After surging 19 per cent the past four weeks, coffee extended its ascent.

Futures jumped to the highest in two years on Tuesday, after drought damage in Brazil prompted Volcafe to cut its outlook for the crop in the South American country, the world’s top grower and exporter.

The worst Brazilian drought in decades ravaged plants earlier this year, and production of arabica beans will be 18 per cent less than projected, Volcafe, a unit of commodity trader ED&F Man Holdings, said on Tuesday.

Coffee futures jumped as much as 8.3 per cent, driving volatility to the highest since 2000.

“People are realising every day that there’s damage, and that the losses will be hard to quantify,” Hernando de la Roche, a senior vice president at INTL FCStone in Miami, said in a telephone interview. “Traders are jittery because of the uncertainty about the Brazilian harvest and what it would mean to world supplies.”

The global harvest, which includes the robusta variety, will fall short of demand by 11 million bags, Winterthur, Switzerland-based Volcafe estimates. That would mean a world deficit about the size of production in Colombia, the second- largest supplier of the premium arabica beans, which are favoured by Starbucks Corp. A bag weighs 60 kg, or 132 pounds.

Arabica coffee for July delivery soared 7.1 per cent to settle at $2.134 a pound on Tuesday on ICE Futures US in New York.

source: http://www.business-standard.com / Business Standard / Home> Markets> Commodities> Food & Edible Oils / Bloomberg / New York – April 23rd, 2014

DC bans plastic in Kodagu

Business & Economy, Green Initiatives / Environment, Nature

‘Team comprising police, reps from ULBs to keep tab on use of plastic’

Kodagu Deputy Commissioner Anurag Tiwari has issued an order banning the use of plastic bags and plastic cups with thickness of less than 40 microns that harm the environment.

He has instructed the police department and officials of urban local bodies to impose penalty to those who violate the rules by using the plastic bags of less than 40 microns in any part of the district.

In his order dated March 15, the Deputy Commissioner who is also the Chairman of the District Tourism Development Committee has said that the Kodagu district has sensitive environment and it is inevitable to ban the use of plastic bags to protect the environment.

Further, he has stated that the decision has been taken considering the Environment Protection Act 1986, Wildlife Protection Act 1972, the notification of the Environment and Forest Ministry of the Government of India dated February 4, 2011 and the notification of Karnataka Government dated October 20, 2010.

“A team of officials including those from police department and urban local bodies will be formed to keep a tab on the use of plastic usage. The team will pay surprise visits to shops and inspect them. Plastic bags if found will be seized and shop owners will be penalised,” Tourism Department Assistant Director Phanish has said.

He stressed that the first priority of the district administration is to control the sale of plastic bags.

The team will raid the shops based on suspicion and the team is expected to be formed after Lok Sabha elections.

As a large number of tourists visit Kodagu, instruction boards about the plastic ban will be placed in the entry points of the district. Tourist vehicles will be inspected and plastic bags if found, will be seized, he said.

It could be recalled that the use of plastic plates and cups was completely banned during the Akhila Bharatha 80th Kannada Sahitya Sammelana held at Madikeri in January. The initiative had received overwhelming response from people.

source: http://www.deccanherald.com / Deccan Herald / Home> District / by Srikanth Kallammanavar / DHNS – Madikeri, March 27th, 2014

CMC has no info on roads, population

Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Business & Economy, Records, All

Startling RTI reply reveals

In an astonishing revelation, the City Municipal Council has claimed of lacking information about the number of roads and streets and the population in particular road or street in Madikeri city.

The reply of the public relation officer of the Madikeri CMC to a Right to Information query filed by an individual, which is available with Deccan Herald, shows that the CMC lacks information on the population in CMC limits.

T C Thimmaiah, a resident of Dechur had filed an application under RTI to the CMC on January 20, seeking information.

He had sought information as he had complained on the creation of wards in the recent poll for Madikeri CMC was not according to the specific guidelines.

The people residing in his ward were included in the voters list of another ward. He also alleged that the area and population was not considered while constituting the wards.

“For example, the population in Ward No 17 is 465, while the population in Ward No 1 is 1,916. The population is almost four times more in Ward No 1 compared to Ward No 17.
Therefore, I filed the RTI with the CMC to know on what basis they had divided the wards,” he told Deccan Herald.

The CMC has 25 blocks which has been divided into 23 wards. He had sought information about the roads, streets, number of houses and population in particular area.

CMC Assistant Executive Engineer who is also the Public Information Officer, K M Ravikumar sent a reply to the RTI query on February 26, along with information about 23 wards attached to it. The reply note said that “the revenue department office of the CMC does not have any information about the roads, streets, number of houses and population in the said blocks.”

Wonderstruck T C Thimmaiah has said that it is ridiculous that the authorities have no information about the population based on which the election is held.

source: http://www.deccanherald.com / Deccan Herald / Home> District / by Srikanth Kallammanavar / DHNS – Madikeri, March 28th, 2014

Committee to study alternative routes for power line in Kodagu

About Kodagu / Coorg, Agriculture, Business & Economy, Coffee, Kodagu (Coorg), Green Initiatives / Environment, Records, All
Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and Energy Minister D.K. Shivakumar at a meeting to discuss the power line project, in Bangalore on Tuesday /. Photo: Sampath Kumar G.P. / The Hindu
Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and Energy Minister D.K. Shivakumar at a meeting to discuss the power line project, in Bangalore on Tuesday /. Photo: Sampath Kumar G.P. / The Hindu

Expert panel to submit report in 15 days

Chief Minister Siddaramaiah has decided to constitute an experts’ committee to examine alternative possibilities to drawing a high-tension power line from the Kaiga nuclear power plant to Kerala through the catchment area of a tributary of the Cauvery in Kodagu.

The decision comes in the wake of prominent people from Kodagu opposing the project in its present form.

The proposed committee, to be headed by an expert from the Central Power Research Institute, will be given 15 days to look into the concerns of people of Kodagu and submit a report.

An assurance was given by the Chief Minister to legislators and environmental activists from Kodagu who met him at his home office here to seek a change in the route of the proposed power line pass, in public interest.

Coorg Wildlife Society president Col. C.P. Muthanna (retd.), who was part of the delegation that had more than a hour’s discussion with the Chief Minister, told reporters that the proposed committee would comprise wildlife ecologist R. Sukumar, Principal Chief Conservator of Forests, and water expert Rajendra Singh.

He alleged that the project, to be implemented by Power Grid Corporation of India Ltd., would result in devastation of 156 hectares of coffee estate and 104 hectares of paddy cultivation area near Virajpet besides 23 hectares of forests. “The area through which the proposed line is to pass has such a thick green cover that each acre of coffee plantation has 350 fully grown trees,” he said, and expressed concern that nearly 53,000 trees would have to be felled if the power line route was not changed.

He said that leaders from Kodagu had suggested that the power line be drawn underground through the “forest fire line” that runs for 23 km. This would also reduce the length of the power line, he said.

The Chief Minister assured the delegation of taking up the issue again for discussion after the experts’ committee submits its report, he said.

The former Speaker K.G. Bopaiah, MLA Appachu Ranjan and MLC M.C. Nanaiah were part of the delegation.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> National> Karnataka / by Special Correspondent / Bangalore – April 30th, 2014

Madikeri to get water from Kundamestri shortly

Business & Economy, Green Initiatives / Environment, Nature

The works on a temporary project to supply water from Kundamestri is nearing completion. The water from Kundamestri is likely to be supplied to the citizens of Madikeri by the week end.

Sand bunds have been laid to store water. The collected water will be supplied to Kootuhole through pipes. After filtering the water at a Filter house at Stuart Hill, water will be supplied to the citizens.

Madikeri reels under water crisis every year, during summer. The works on Kundamestri project was initiated to mitigate the water crisis. However, owing to delay in release of funds, the works could not be completed. Now, the estimated cost of the project has escalated.

The Kundamestri project is being implemented by the Karnataka Water Supply and Sewage Board (KWSSB). It will take another year to complete the works.

KWSSB Executive Engineer Balachandra expressed confidence of completing the works soon. “The project has been taken up, keeping in mind the development of Madikeri in the next 50 years. When the water level declines in Kootuhole, water will be supplied from Kundamestri to Kootuhole,” he said.

source: http://www.deccanherald.com / Deccan Herald / Home> District / by Srikanth Kallammanavar / Madikeri – DHNS, April 27th, 2014

‘Kodagu Climate Suits Apple Cultivation’

Agriculture, Business & Economy, Green Initiatives / Environment, Nature, Uncategorized

Senior scientist and expert on apple cultivation from Himachal Pradesh Dr Chiranjit Parmar expressed confidence that in Karnataka, especially Kodagu, apple cultivation will be successful as the weather here is suitable.

Parmar, who was on a State tour, told reporters here on Monday that efforts are on to grow apples in Tumkur, Bangalore, Uppinanagady in Dakshina Kannada and Somwarpet in Kodagu.

He said Karnataka is better than Himachal Pradesh for apples as the growers here will get the yield twice a year compared to the northern state where it is once a year due to snow.

“Since three years, efforts are on to grow apples in Karnataka and it has been successful as the weather is conducive,” he said.

Parmar tasted the apples grown in Sulimlathe of Abbukatte in Somwarpet in the district.

Apple growers of Kodagu C R Shivakumar and Krishna Shetty of Uppinangady accompanied Parmar during his tour.

source: http://www.newindianexpress.com / The New Indian Express / Home> States> Karnataka / by Express News Service – Madikeri / April 22nd, 2014

Kodagu fighting to maintain its existence

About Kodagu / Coorg, Business & Economy, Historical Links / Pre-Independence, Records, All

The glorious credentials of Kodagu, one of the smallest districts in the State, appears to be on the wane, and the land of Kodavas is literally fighting to maintain its existence in many ways.

Kodagu was a Part ‘C’ State, one of the 10 such regions carved out after the country got Independence, before its merger with the then Mysore in 1956. The others were Ajmer, Cooch Behar, Bhopal, Bilaspur, Delhi, Himachal Pradesh, Kutch, Manipur and Tripura.

Different scenario
As a State, Kodagu had proved that smaller States could ensure all-round development. The current scenario is different. People cry foul over the “imperviousness” of the elected representatives and the powers that be in terms of attention to the district’s development.

Rapid urbanisation, cash crops being affected by diseases, fluctuating prices of the crops, poor road and power infrastructure, lack of clarity on land tenures, and destruction of forests on the pretext of development haunt the people. Drinking water and regular power supply, telecommunication network and transportation facilities, educational institutions, anganwadi centres and hospitals in villages are still a far cry. Monsoon brings its own misery to the district. None is sure whether or not the next Member of Parliament representing Kodagu (which is part of the Mysore Lok Sabha constituency) would be available to sort out the district’s problems. “Look at the state of roads from Hunsur to Gonicoppa,” said P.T. Bopanna, veteran journalist who has focussed on the issue of lack of development in the district on his web portals.

Politicians cannot remain oblivious to the problems Kodagu is facing, K.G. Ajith, a resident of Madikeri, said. They ought to pay attention and be held accountable, he said.

In 1952, elections were held for the 24 seats of the Coorg legislative body amid stiff opposition to the merger plans. The Congress won 15 seats and Independents (opposing merger) won nine seats. C.M. Poonacha of the Congress became the Chief Minister and K. Mallappa was the Home Minister. Under various circumstances Coorg was merged with the then Mysore in 1956.

Merger
The merger followed the recommendations of the States Reorganisation Commission led by Fazal Ali. All through the Poonacha regime, the relationship between the government and the people was exemplary and cordial, according to C.M. Ramachandra, the former Chief of Bureau of The Hindu in Bangalore.

In 2008, the Delimitation Commission merged parts of the Somwarpet Assembly constituency with Madikeri and Virajpet constituencies, reducing the number of Assembly segments in the district to two. The reason attributed was low population figures.

After being with the Mangalore Lok Sabha constituency, Kodagu was included in the Mysore Lok Sabha constituency.

The Codava National Council led by N.U. Nachappa, which launched a struggle some 22 years ago, has diluted its demand for a statehood to Kodagu. The council now seeks an autonomous status for Kodagu within Karnataka. “The CNC will restore the glory of Kodagu,” Mr. Nachappa said.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> National> Karnataka / by J. Jeevan Chinnappa / Bangalore – April 20th, 2014