Category Archives: Business & Economy

Bengaluru start-up to launch Araku Aroma brand coffee in US

Business & Economy, Coffee News, World Opinion

The company is also planning for a domestic foray in January at the India International Coffee Festival.

ArakuKF23dec2017

Krish Food and Fun India, a Bengaluru-based start-up, plans to globally launch Araku Aroma Brand of coffees in the United States. “The company is launching Araku Aroma Coffees in Edison, New Jersey in the US. We are helping marketing coffees grown in the tribal belt of Andhra Pradesh. The Araku is tribal valley near Vishakhapatnam,” said Krishna Chaitanya, Managing Director, Krish Food and Fun India.

The company is also planning for a domestic foray in January at the India International Coffee Festival. According to Chaitanya, “As per the agreement, we are to buy coffees harvested by tribal farmers in around 250 acres. The company plans to market around 500 tonnes of coffee annually.”

“For this we have invested Rs 2.5 crore to set up roasting facility and for marketing tribal grown coffees,” he added.

Chaitanya was in Bengaluru recently to make final arrangements to release Araku Aroma brand of coffees. “As part of the agreement with tribal community, we want to spend 10 per cent of our profits from selling Araku Aroma to procure anti-venom drugs and for providing general medical facilities to the tribal community,” revealed Chaitanya.

source: http://www.thehindubusinessline.com / Business Line / Home> Companies / by Anil Urs / Bengaluru – December 23rd, 2017

Karnataka : ‘ Tax tourists to preserve Kodagu’s green ’

Business & Economy, Green Initiatives / Environment, Nature

CoorgGreenKF22dec2017

District wants to follow on Nilgiris’ footsteps, urges Payment for Ecological Services fund for the benefit of farmers and region’s ecology

Worried about the increasing tourism activity in Kodagu district, greens have urged the government to follow the Niligiris district administration and impose a green tax on tourist vehicles entering the district.

Recently, the Nilgiris district administration announced that tourist vehicles entering the district via the Burliar, Kakkanallah and Nambiar Kunnu checkposts will be charged a green tax of Rs. 20, which will be used for the maintenance of the district’s ecology. It is expected that the fee will be used by the administration to carry out restoration works and maintain the fragile Nilgiris landscape.

Sundar Muthanna, Bengaluru Co-ordinator for Coorg Wildlife Society, welcomed the move by the Nilgiris district administration and said this should be implemented at all entry points to Kodagu district too.

“Collecting a cess or tax from tourist vehicles is important at the entry points because tourism has a very negative foot print on the ecology. Some of the damage can be undone by the tourism industry itself. They cannot go on exploiting the land endlessly and they have to give back,” he said.

He said the money generated should be used for tree planting and rejuvenating the existing water sources. “The money thus collected must go to the Payment for Ecological Services (PES) fund. The idea for PES comes from the belief that a rich and diverse ecology is equal to economic capital for the state and the nation.

Through PES we can help the people of Malnad preserve the ecology they live in. A well-preserved ecology will encourage rainfall locally in the Malnad and in the neighbouring regions,” he said. The fund could be used to provide subsidies for Malnad’s planters and farmers, he said.

Paddy cultivation could be encouraged with this fund, as rice fields contribute richly to the streams and rivers, and help to make them perennial, or flow through the year. Cottage industries such as pepper processing, canning, coffee processing can be set up in each taluk of the districts of Malnad.

The entry point to Kodagu district is from Hassan, Mysuru, Dakshina Kannada and Kerala.

Dinesh Holla, convener Sahyadri Sanchaya, said uncontrollable damage has already taken place in the Western Ghats region of Kodagu and Chikkamagaluru. “Rainfall has reduced. The government talks about only development, but when environmentalists approach the minister requesting him to procure helicopters so that in case of forest fire, quick action can be initiated, we are told that we are not living in a foreign country. It is time that the youth come forward, raise their voice and protect whatever little is left behind in the fragile Western Ghats,” he said.

source: http://www.bangaloremirror.indiatimes.com / Bangalore Mirror / Home> News> State / by Deepthi Sanjiv, Bangalore Mirror Bureau / December 21st, 2017

Coffee Board to open coffee cafes

Business & Economy, Coffee News, Coffee, Kodagu (Coorg)

A project in PPP model for opening India Coffee House outlets in the district has been proposed by the Coffee Board, board member Manukumar said.

Addressing reporters here on Thursday, Manukumar said that these coffee houses will be similar to that of the cafes in metropolitan cities. It has been planned to launch the outlets in Kemmannugundi Cross, Seethalaiahnagiri, Devirammana Betta, Horanadu, Shringeri and Taluk office premises. A survey in this regard is in progress. The price of the coffee served in these outlets will be lesser as compared to other cafes, he said.

“While the land will be given by the government, the Coffee Board will construct the cafes and the management will be handed over to private organisations,” he said.

Subsidies for planters
The coffee board has provided Rs 9.10 crore for coffee planters between April 2017 till date towards mechanisation, warehouses, water facilities and transplantation. A subsidy amount of Rs 2.2 crore has been released by banks to 900 coffee planters towards interest, he said.

Research is on to control the menace of white stem borer. Kits have been distributed to farmers to control snails in coffee plantations, he said.

The Coffee Board has recommended maintaining a ratio of 51:49 for coffee – chikori mixing and a letter in this regard has been sent to the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI).

The board has also requested the Central government to provide subsidy to encourage coffee planters.

A memorandum has been submitted to the state government to bring white stem borer and wild snail in the ambit of Karnataka Pest e Control Act, he said.

Board office bearers Pradeep Pai and M L Kallesh were present.

source: http://www.deccanherald.com / Deccan Herald / Home> District> Chikkamagaluru / DH News Service – December 14th, 2017

New airport at Kannur may boost tourist arrivals to Mysuru, Kodagu

Business & Economy
A file photo of the runway at the Kannur International Airport.
A file photo of the runway at the Kannur International Airport.

Authorities invite Mysuru Travels Association for a tour of the greenfield airport

Tourism industry in Mysuru and Kodagu is hoping for a surge in tourist footfall — all thanks to Kannur International Airport, a greenfield airport in Kerala, which will be inaugurated for flight operations shortly.

Stakeholders here argue that the airport will open a new gateway for tourism development as Kodagu is closer to Kannur and eventually improve connectivity between the two States boosting tourism.

According to tour and travel operators here, some section of tourists wishing to visit Mysuru and Madikeri may opt to travel via Kannur airport instead of Bengaluru’s Kempegowda International Airport and the itinerary will alter once the airport becomes operational. Mysuru Travels Association (MTA) has been invited by the authorities for a tour of the greenfield airport.

Confirming this to The Hindu, MTA president B.S. Prashanth said tour and travel operators from Mysuru will soon be visiting Kannur to take a look at the facilities at the airport. The airport has been developed under public-private partnership.

Transit route

“Mysuru is the transit route to Madikeri. Once the airport becomes operational, Kodagu may become the new transit zone to Mysuru if tourists prefer flying to Kannur instead of Bengaluru when they plan their vacation to the ‘Land of coffee’. Tourism is booming in Kodagu with scores of homestays and popular hill resorts to unwind,” he said.

The new airport will also open new access way to tourists planning to visit Wayanad and Ooty — the other two popular hill stations in south India. The road connectivity from Kannur is said to be good further pushing tourist arrivals to Kodagu. Kannur is around 70 km from Virajpet in Kodagu while the distance from Mysuru is around 120 km.

People flying to Kannur need not have to bother about traffic to reach their destinations – Madikeri or Mysuru – unlike from Bengaluru. Reaching the city from Kempegowda International Airport at Devanahalli near Bengaluru and thereafter to Mysuru under bumper-to-bumper traffic on the busy National Highway is a challenge for tourists, who fly into the State capital. “If you provide good and hassle-free connectivity, people will definitely patronise,” the stakeholders claim. “The traffic doubles in weekends with the travelling time stretching up to four hours between Bengaluru and Mysuru. Barring the ghat section, the drive is smooth between Mysuru and Kannur,” he said.

The spurt in homestays and luxury resorts in the ‘Land of Coffee’ – Kodagu – has made it one of the busiest hill stations in south India.

“There is a little worry as Kodagu is getting commercialised. We don’t want the place to meet the same fate as Ooty which has undergone rapid commercialisation. To some extent, Kodagu should retain its serene identity to be in the competition,” sources in tourism sector here told The Hindu.

Some unconfirmed statistics said Kodagu has over 35,000 rooms – at homestays, hotels, and resorts. The number has increased only in recent years.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> States> Karnataka / by Shankar Bennur / Mysuru – December 15th, 2017

Growers hope MIP on pepper will block dumping of Vietnam variety

Business & Economy, Pepper, World Opinion

PepperKF11dec2017
Mangaluru :

Karnataka, one of two major black pepper producers in the country, has wholeheartedly welcomed the Union Commerce Ministry’s decision to fix Minimum Import Price of `500 per kg on pepper on CIF (Cost, Insurance and Freight) basis.

India produces about 65,000 tonnes of pepper of which state’s contribution is about 30,000 tonnes. Kodagu, Chikkakamagaluru and Hassan districts are the major pepper growing areas in the state apart from the coastal districts of Dakshina Kannada and Udupi.

Konkodi Padmanabha, convenor, Consortium of Pepper Growers Association, told reporters here on Thursday that the decision will automatically block the import of poor quality pepper especially from Vietnam and as a result the demand for Indian pepper will increase. At present, farmers are getting a minimum of `380 per kg and experts believe that the prices may jump by `50-60 per kg in a fortnight and growers may get at least `700 a kg for the next season’s pepper.

CAMPCO MD Suresh Bhandary M said it may take another 2-3 months for the new prices to stabilise after the old stock is cleared.“The MIP will not be applicable for the licences already issued for import for Vietnam pepper. It will apply only for fresh licences.” Further, he said the fixing of uniform MIP for all grades of pepper and even crushed and ground pepper will avoid chances of adulteration.

Organisation’s co-ordinator K K Vishwanath urged the Centre to ban the import of black pepper into the country, impose dumping duty on imported pepper, hike the import duty from present 64 percent to 108 percent, allow the import of pepper only through any two ports for better monitoring, take strict measures to certify the quality of imported pepper and bring in laws to issue ‘Fake country of origin’ for imported pepper. He said they want ban in pepper import as traders may now use the Nepal route.

“Since there is no port in Nepal, foreign countries import to Nepal through ports in Kolkatta. Then it become easy for them to push it inside India as there is free trade agreement between the two countries.” Padmanabha thanked commerce minister Suresh Prabhu for his positive response to their petition in just 13 days and union minister Ananth Kumar Hegde and MPs Nalin Kumar Kateel, Prathap Simha and the state government for taking up their cause.

source: http://www.newindianexpress.com / The New Indian Express / Home> States> Karnataka / by Express News Services / December 08th, 2017

Coffee exports rise 8% in January-November

Business & Economy, Coffee News, World Opinion

Coffee exports from India, Asia’s third-largest producer and exporter, rose by 8.08 per cent to 3.61 lakh tonnes in January-November 2017 compared to 3.34 lakh tonnes in the same period of last year, according to the Coffee Board.

Italy, Germany and Russia were the major export destinations for Indian coffee during the period. India ships both robusta and Arabica varieties, besides instant coffee.

Robusta coffee exports rose by 10.80 per cent to 2,11,442 tonnes in January-November 2017 from 1,90,828 tonnes in the year-ago, the board dats showed.

Export of Arabica coffee however declined by 10.81 per cent to 44,084 tonnes from 49,431 tonnes in the said period.

The outbound shipment of instant coffee increased sharply by 86 per cent to 47,734 tonnes in January-November this year from 22,966 tonnes in the same period last year, the data showed.

Of the total exports, India exported 73,705 tonnes to Italy, 38,671 tonnes to Germany and 26,319 tonnes to Russia during the period under review.

Some of the major exporting companies include CCL Products IndiaBSE 0.94 %, Tata CoffeeBSE -0.92 %, Olam Agro and Coffee Day Global Ltd.

Some of the major exporting companies include CCL Products IndiaBSE 0.94 %, Tata CoffeeBSE -0.92 %, Olam Agro and Coffee Day Global Ltd.

source: http://www.economictimes.indiatimes.com / The Economic Times / ET Home> News> Economy> Foreign Trade / PTI / December 04th, 2017

Asia’s first woman coffee taster was nearly ‘brewed’ out

Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Business & Economy, Coffee News, Famous Personalities of Kodagu / Coorg, Inspiration / Positive News and Features, Leaders, Records, All, World Opinion

SunaliniKF10dec2017
Bengaluru :

Asia’s first lady of coffee Sunalini Menon says she never planned on being a coffee-taster. She says that she decided on a course in Dietetics or a Phd. in Foods, when she chanced upon an advertisement calling for Assistant Cup tasters at the Coffee Board of India. “I had tried tea tasting as a child at an uncle’s tea estate in Munnar and the ad brought back happy memories of sipping, slurping, spitting and looking wise. I applied for the post and was called for the interview.”

She had to compete with eight men with more experience and qualifications, and that was her first job interview. Sunalini came first in the written and oral tests.

Sunalini, Asia’s first woman coffee taster, says, that the internal panel of examiners were not too keen to appoint her because she was young, had no knowledge about coffee and was a woman who could get married and give up the assignment. “But the then chairman of the Coffee Board was insistent that gender should not come in the way of a job and that as I had topped the interview, that I should rightfully be given the assignment.” Sunalini then joined the Coffee Board of India in 1972.

It wasn’t easy working at the Coffee Board of India, she says. She was the only woman at the officer’s cadre level in the Board then. “The staff working under me refused to accept my instructions or the schedule I had set for work, they were not used to taking instructions from a woman,” she says. “Fortunately, I had a chief who took me under his wing and advised me to first learn the subject and give them time to accept me. His parting words were ‘Tread slowly, but firmly’.”

The in-house training she was given was intense. Every day, she would taste washed arabicas, unwashed arabicas, washed robustas and unwashed robustas, to understand the various nuances in a cup.
Also, a founder trustee of the Women’s Coffee Alliance – India Chapter, Sunalini was present at the Coffee Santhe held recently at Karnataka Chitrakala Parishat. She says, “This is our annual fund raiser to help empower women coffee-plantation workers and their girl children.”

Coffee tasting is both a science and an art

While carrying out coffee tasting, there is a protocol that one needs to follow. The attributes that are evaluated in the cup are fragrance, which is the smell of the coffee powder in the dry state, and aroma, which is the smell in the wet state, when water is added to the powder. During the aroma evaluation, the crust (floating particles on the surface of liquor or the brew prepared for tasting and all the aromatic volatiles) is broken. With“Breaking of Crust”, fragrance, aroma and the other attributes are evaluated for flavour, aftertaste, acidity, mouthfeel, uniformity, balance, cleanliness, sweetness and, finally, the overall rating of the cup.

source: http://www.newindianexpress.com / The New Indian Express / Home> Cities> Bengaluru / by Akhila Damodaran / Express News Service / December 08th, 2017

Get a whiff of coffee at GES

Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Business & Economy, Coffee News
The stall set up by Coffee Board at the GES venue where Araku Coffee grown in the eastern ghats is also on display.
The stall set up by Coffee Board at the GES venue where Araku Coffee grown in the eastern ghats is also on display.

Coffee Board sets up stall to promote regional flavours

Coffee Board, a Government of India enterprise, has put up a stall at GES venue to promote various regional flavours of coffee mostly grown in the western ghats.

Though India is the sixth largest producer of coffee that’s mostly exported to Europe, not many outside Europe are aware of it. “This is our opportunity to promote Indian coffee among the global audience at GES,” says Raghuramulu, Director, Central Coffee Research Institute, Coffee Board.

The western ghats is one of the biodiversity hotspots in the world and coffee is grown as an integrated crop and in shade, Mr. Raghuramulu said. It is a way of rejuvenating greenery in the eastern ghats known for Podu cultivation. The income of tribals started going up after coffee plantation was promoted in Araku and Chintapalli areas in Visakha Agency, he added.

At the summit, Araku Coffee grown in the eastern ghats is also on display.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> Cities> Hyderabad / by Special Correspondent / Hyderabad – November 28th, 2017

Coffee Board to promote entrepreneurship

Business & Economy, Coffee News

Coffee winning the hearts of North Indians too

A stall put up by the Coffee Board to showcase different varieties of Indian coffee at the Global Entrepreneurship Summit (GES) being held in Hyderabad on Tuesday. (Photo: G Naga Sridhar)
A stall put up by the Coffee Board to showcase different varieties of Indian coffee at the Global Entrepreneurship Summit (GES) being held in Hyderabad on Tuesday. (Photo: G Naga Sridhar)

Hyderabad :

The Coffee Board will be promoting entrepreneurship with a dual purpose of pushing self-businesses as well as coffee consumption.

Speaking to BusinessLine on the sidelines of the Global Entrepreneurship Summit (GES) which began here on Tuesday, Y Raghuramulu, Central Coffee Research Institute, said 34 entrepreneurs had successfully launched their businesses in the last one-and-a-half years.

According to B J Ashwin Kumar, Research Chair & Consultant (Promotion), Coffee Board, about 700 were trained in various aspects of coffee business so far.

“The advantage in business of coffee is that it will not need huge capital. One can take it off with even Rs. 1 lakh,” he said.

Steady growth in consumption

Consumption of coffee has been steadily growing at about 5 to 6 per cent per annum, Raghuramulu said.

He added: “While South India has been a predominant market, of late the number of coffee lovers in the North has been growing.”

About 3.25 lakh tonnes of coffee is produced by India. ” Efforts are to push coffee exports from India with a focus on special varieties,” he added.

Europe is a major destination for Indian shade-grown coffee followed by the US.

Domestic consumption is about 1 lakh tonnes which includes few imported varieties from countries such as Indonesia and Vietnam.

source: http://www.thehindubusinessline.com / Business Line / Home> Economy> Agri Business> Global Entrepreneurial Summit / by G. Naga Sridhar / Hyderabad – November 28th, 2017

Mutt gets back 193-acre land

Business & Economy, Records, All

The land dispute between Chowreera family and Kannada Mutt in Ammathi Bettageri of Virajpet taluk ended with the authorities handing over the land documents to the Mutt on Saturday.

The family had taken a 193-acre land on lease.

Over a period of time, the family claimed that the said land belongs to them. The dispute eventually entered the court.

Based on the Supreme Court’s judgement, the Virajpet Tahsildar R Govindaraj handed over the documents to the Mutt.

source: http://www.deccanherald.com / Deccan Herald / Home> District / Siddapura – DH News Service / November 26th, 2017