Category Archives: Agriculture

Coorg beekeepers rue decline in honey trade, seek govt hand-holding for revival

Agriculture, Business & Economy, Famous Personalities of Kodagu / Coorg, Records, All, Videos

The beekeepers and producers of ‘Coorg Honey’ said they want the authorities concerned to take their brand across the country and beyond and bring back the halcyon days when the hill district used to be the country’s top honey producer.

Nagesh, an apiarist in Bittangala village in South Coorg. (Express Photo by Darshan Devaiah)

Be sweet with Coorg Honey. Those were the words of Sri Shambhavananda Swamiji from Sri Ramakrishna Mission who developed a unique method of bee-keeping known as ‘Coorg Standard Hive’ in the hilly district of south Karnataka-Coorg (Kodagu). Now, the beekeepers want the state government to not only make the practice sustainable but also go big on promoting brand ‘Coorg Honey’.

Citing a recent investigation by the Centre for Science and Environment (CSE), which found that honey sold by major brands in India was laced with modified sugar syrup, the beekeepers and producers of ‘Coorg Honey’ said they want the authorities concerned to take their brand across the country and beyond and bring back the halcyon days when the hill district used to be the country’s top honey producer.

After becoming the first president of Sri Ramakrishna Saradashrama in Coorg way back in 1928, Swami Shambhavananda initiated a bee-keeping project in the district knowing that the lush, hilly terrain presented an ideal setting for the practice which could also contribute to the local economy. In 1936, Swamiji set up the ‘Coorg Honey and Wax Producers Co-operative Society Ltd’, which, in time, became the first honey producers’ co-operative in the country.

Coorg Honey society building in Virajpet. (Express Photo by Darshan Devaiah BP)

Over the last few years, the practice of bee-keeping and honey collection in the district has declined, to the extent that the Coorg Honey and Wax Producers Co-operative Society Ltd is now forced to procure honey from North Indian states just to keep their brand alive.

Speaking to indianexpress.com , Kodira Praveen Chengappa, former president of Coorg Honey and Wax Producers Co-operative Society Ltd, said, “Everyone who comes to Coorg, which is one of the country’s top tourist destinations, wants to take home a pot of ‘Coorg Honey’. However, the beekeepers in the district are not producing honey now like they used to. Since the production has reduced, our society has little option but to buy honey from beekeepers in Chikamagaluru, Karnataka, Bihar, Punjab and other places, who collect pure and original honey. We do a strict quality check then if the honey meets our standards, we sell it under the ‘Coorg Honey’ brand name.”

Kodira Praveen Chengappa taking honey from his honey bee box. (Express Photo Darshan Devaiah BP)

Apis Cerana bees, known as the honey bees of Coorg, still flock around the colourful indigenous flowers, lining the Western Ghats, drawing nectar. However, the practice of beekeeping has been severely hit.

“Earlier, many trees were planted and wildflowers, including coffee blossoms, paddy, ragi, were cultivated, drawing bees by the droves. However, honey collection has been severely dented as the use of pesticides these days is killing the bees,” Chengappa said.

Apiculture or beekeeping used to be one of the important farming activities in Coorg and contributed substantially to the income of local farmers. “In 1936, Shambhavananda Swamiji started the first honey producers’ co-operative in India at Virajpet in Coorg district. Later, in 1938, he founded the Ramakrishna Ashram and started to impart beekeeping lessons to local youth, who took an interest in the practice, at his office and a honey processing unit. He also sent local enthusiasts to beekeeping training centres in Pune and Coimbatore. He also marketed ‘Coorg Honey’ in Mumbai and other cities,” Chengappa said.

Though the production of ‘Coorg Honey’ has declined drastically, the former boss of the co-operative said the demand for the brand remains undiminished and with a bit of hand-holding from the government and other authorities concerned, the district could return to its glory days of honey making.

Bee hive boxes kept inside a coffee estate in Coorg. (Express Photo by Darshan Devaiah BP)

Traditional beekeepers, who have been harvesting honey since ages, are struggling these days as the honey bees of Coorg are declining in number, largely because of the use of pesticides. They said that radiations from mobile towers in the district are proving fatal for the bees.

Nagesh, an apiarist at Bittangala village in South Coorg who has been into beekeeping for three decades, told indianexpress.com, “I request our farmers not to use pesticides as it is because of these chemicals that the honey bees are dying. I have also seen the bees dying because of radiation from mobile towers. As much as 30 to 50 per cent of bees are dying due to mobile tower radiation and another 80 per cent because of the use of pesticides.”

Nestled in the midst of rolling hills and dense forests, Coorg experiences periodic shifts in climate and temperature, making it a favourable haunt for four major species of honey bees. According to Nagesh, a Coorgi, the honey tastes different as seasons roll and also at time of crop cultivation. “During the harvesting of coffee beans, the honey tastes very different compared to the season when paddy is cultivated,” Nagesh said, adding that the main four species of honey bees found in Coorg are Ponn thene (Apis dorsate) in forest areas, Potti thene (Apis cerena), Kaddi thene (Apis floria) and M ooli thene(Apis trigona), which are domesticated.

Beekeepers in Coorg keep around 30 to 50 bee boxes within an area of one to one-and-a-half kilometres, depending on the source of bee forage, in their coffee estate or areca nut farms. Nagesh said bee colonies, these days, is very hard to find as they are facing the risk of a colony collapse disorder where the majority of worker bees in a colony disappear.

Coorg honey. (Express Photo Darshan Devaiah BP)

A beekeeper in Coorg can harvest 2-3 kgs of honey from one box. “Earlier we used to harvest 10 to 20 kgs of honey from one box. During the peak time, honey can be extracted once in 15 days from one box if there are strengthened colonies. However, that is not possible now,” Nagesh said.

The horticulture department has started providing Bee Hive Boxes and training to interested people at the beekeeping training centre in Bhagamandala, North Coorg. Founded in 1953, the centre provides three months of training, where students are taken through the basics of bee collecting, bee hiving and honey collecting or extraction, among other practices.

Prakash Mandanna, a beekeeper who took his lessons in the practice at Bhagamandala training centre, said, “After enrolling for a training course 10 years ago, I started beekeeping. However, six years later, the bees were afflicted with diseases such as Thai sac brood. Planting of exotic trees such as Silver Oak, Eucalyptus and Acacia Auriculiformis in the coffee estates affected pollinators and altered the native flora of Coorg.”

“The loss of forest cover and native trees is also an important reason for less honey bee production in Coorg. The government should focus on revival of bee production through the expansion of forest cover and forage plants in the district,” Mandanna told indianexpress.com.

He said the need of the hour is for the state horticulture department to promote beekeeping among the youth in the district. “Our government has undertaken various initiatives to promote beekeeping but the problem is that people are losing interest in the practice as the bees are not available in plantations and forests now. The horticulture department should come forward and support beekeeping in Coorg,” he said.

Officials in the horticulture department said various initiatives have been taken up in recent years to increase production of honey and provide subsidy to farmers interested in Apiculture.

Speaking to indianexpress.com, Dr Hemalatha, senior assistant director, Horticulture (Apiculture), said, “We have three different schemes at central, state and district levels to help farmers who are interested in apiculture. As part of the state sector, we are giving a budget for beekeeping development and under the central sector scheme, we are providing pollination support. We are also giving residential beekeeping training at the Bhagamandala centre in Coorg where approximately 15 to 20 interested farmers can take a training in beekeeping every year and earn a stipend.”

She said the horticulture department is also reaching out to farmers across the state, who are interested in beekeeping. “Our schemes are aimed at helping farmers interested in Apiculture and we are spreading the word through local newspapers and grama sabha meetings. Honey Mela is also organised every year in Bengaluru to promote Apiculture,” Hemalatha said.

source: http://www.indianexpress.com / The Indian Express / Home> Cities> Bangalore / by Darshan Devaiah BP, Coorg, Madikeri / February 15th, 2021

Uplift of small farmers drives this Bengaluru coffee startup

Agriculture, Business & Economy, Coffee News, Coffee, Kodagu (Coorg), Famous Personalities of Kodagu / Coorg, Green Initiatives / Environment, Inspiration / Positive News and Features, Records, All, World Opinion

Ex-banker Soomanna Mandepanda and his wife, Puja Soomanna set up their startup Humblebean in 2017 to ensure better prices and reach for small coffee farmers and improve every part of the value chain.

For former banker Soomanna Mandepanda, the motivation for setting up Humblebean was not just to sell the best coffees, but more importantly, uplift the small and medium Indian farmers who grow them. 

In the process, he is trying to bring about changes at almost each stage of the business — from cultivation and supply chain to research and education. 

Founded in 2017 by Soomanna and his wife and former Yahoo executive Puja Soomanna, Bengaluru-based Humblebean works on an omnichannel model: It ties up with small coffee farmers in south India, roasts and grounds supply, provides the beans to roasters, exports its products, operates brew bars, and has an online presence. 

A responsible way to grow coffee 

The coffee drinking experience has been gaining traction in India, with the market for the brew expected to record a compound annual growth rate of 7.2 percent during 2021-25, according to a January 2021 Statista report. 

Startups including Sleepy Owl, The Flying Squirrel, and Coffeeza, as well as shops such as Third Wave Coffee Roasters are making their presence felt in the market. 

India is the world’s sixth-largest producer of coffee and fifth in terms of exports; in fact, 70 percent of its production is exported, says a January 2021 report by the India Brand Equity Foundation. Yet, Soomanna says, “a lot of small and medium farmers and farms aren’t getting the kind of business and reach they should” .

Soomanna would know: he spent most of his childhood on the coffee estates of Coorg and was a small farmer before moving to the world of finance and banking for 13 years. One way to correct the imbalance, he says, is by “making great biodiverse coffee that farms in India are already poised to do”.  

According to him, 80-90 percent of coffee farms in India are held by small and medium farmers, whose secondary income comes from crops such as jackfruit, avocado, pepper, and orange that are part of the same farms. 

Cultivating other crops alongside coffee “ensures automatic carbon sequestration, top soil replenishment, and lesser need to feed chemicals unlike commercial crops grown in other countries”, says Soomanna. “The mining of the minerals is automatic and you become carbon neutral.” 

Puja Soomanna

Advocating farmer-friendly norms 

Increasingly popular among young consumers are organic, speciality, and Rainforest Alliance coffees that respectively employ natural methods of cultivation dispensing with harmful chemicals, are of the highest grade being derived from a single origin or single estate and protect the environment as well as worker rights. 

However, in India these certified varieties are grown largely on rich estates; most small and medium farmers cannot afford the costly certifications and grades.   

Coffee cultivation and the business are still quite unorganised in India, the certifications cost a lot of money, and need constant follow-ups, says Soomanna.  “The norms are difficult to adhere to for most small farmers. It is a replication of an American model.”

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He says most large corporations in India export to Europe. “The small companies in Hassan, Chikmagalur, etc. certify about 150 estates and add the tags. But the farmer doesn’t get the price because the better prices are still being fetched with the local trader. The local traders are important, but the real traceability is lost.” 

As farmers don’t get better prices, there is little driving them to improve their produce, he says. “Speciality coffee is something few farmers can afford to grow.” 

Hence, the need to bring in farmer-friendly rules, he says.

The Humblebean coffee

Promoting social value investing

Given the largely unorganised state of affairs, Humblebean focused on getting farmers on board. The team collected random samples, tasted them, and guided farmers on growing the beans in a better way. 

By 2018, the team had got 50-60 farmers on board and given them assessment reports free of cost. Until then, the startup was in its pre-revenue stages, bootstrapped with funds from family and friends. 

The team then focused on getting roasters to directly buy from farmers. For this, it adopted the idea of social value investing, in which everyone who is part of the value chain comes together to solve a problem and there is money in it for all. 

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“Once we got the farmers on board, we decided to tie up with brands and introduce them to the new portfolios of coffees,” says Soomanna. “We incubated close to four different brands in India from scratch to start a unique brand with a different blend. The idea was to bring in multiple partnerships and inclusiveness in the farming community on one platform.” 

Most of the speciality coffee firms have restricted names and types of beans grown on particular estates. “The idea is to bring in more brands that can access different estates, work with them, and encourage the farmers,” says Soomanna. 

Humblebean also fulfils the complete roast and ground process for such brands and even gives them a credit facility, he says. 

Quality comes with education 

Towards the end of 2018 and early 2019, the Humblebean team found that coffees served at most star hotels weren’t up to the mark. 

One of the reasons for this, Soomanna says, is that coffee as education is lacking in hotel management schools: one has to go to Italy to learn more about its nuances. The Coffee Board of India mostly takes care of the functionality, he says. 

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“We met a few management schools and after some discussions it was decided that the colleges would look at it as part of the curriculum,” says Soomanna. 

Brewing innovative Indian blends

Even as Humblebean works to improve every part of the value chain, it is trying to offer consumers a very Indian coffee drinking experience.

To that end, the startup opened its first Brew Bar in the food experience section of a workspace on Bengaluru’s Residency Road in 2019. Humblebean was one of the early members of that workspace set up by a Singapore-based company. 

Puja, who conceptualised Brew Bar, spent time innovating the blends with the use of Indian robustas.  

“We don’t serve a single cup of speciality coffee; we wanted to make sure through the brewing methods can small and medium farmers come into mainstream brewing?” says Soomanna. 

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He says these Indian blends “aren’t being used by a single new-age speciality coffee company” as they are considered “harsh and used as a filler across the world. But they are unique and you need great expertise and experience to make a robusta out of them”. 

Following research and development, the startup has also come up with its own set of products. Together with B2B partners, it has launched these products online and will soon sell them at other marketplaces. The range is priced at Rs 220-350 for 250 gm for limited editions and depending on the roast. 

“Indian coffees can have a global impact,” says Soomanna. “The idea is to be farmer-friendly and also not cause too much environmental damage. We want to bring an amazing cup of coffee from the farms the way it should be drunk.”

Edited by Lena Saha

source: http://www.yourstory.com / YourStory / Home> Start Up / by Sindhu Kashyap / February 07th, 2021

Chorus Grows For Relief Package To Coffee Growers

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

Madikeri:

There is an increasing demand from coffee growers for a relief package in the budget to be presented by the State Government this year. 

The demands have grown after the Kerala Government increased the Minimum Support Price (MSP) for raw Robusta Coffee at Rs. 90 per kg in Wayanad district. For a 50 kg bag, the MSP offered by Kerala is Rs. 4,500. The MSP announcement that comes at a time when coffee growers are reeling under severe crisis owing to the low price of the produce, higher input cost and vagaries of weather. 

Even the coffee grower community from Kodagu have been demanding relief package as they feel that the amount paid through the calamity relief fund under the National Disaster Management Plan will not be sufficient to recoup the losses suffered by them due to unprecedented rains.

Former Vice-President of Coffee Board Dr. Sannuvanda Kaverappa said that since 2015, the coffee growers in Karnataka were suffering due to lack of good prices, high input and labour costs and adverse weather, but successive governments have ignored the plight of the growers. 

A waiver of coffee loans, re-scheduling of outstanding loans and reduction in the interest rate for loans are justified considering the difficult times faced by the growers, he said. “Coffee planters in the district are reeling because of various reasons, including the vagaries of monsoon and COVID-19. I appeal to the Government to declare a special relief package and announce a waiver of short-term loans and developmental loans taken by coffee growers,” he said.

He also sought immediate payment of pending subsidies towards replanting and other schemes of the Coffee Board. “Kodagu has been tormented by weather and either it is lack of rains or excessive rains that have led to landslides and destruction of plantations.

Karnataka must follow the Kerala model where an MSP of Rs, 90 per kg has been declared to Wayanad coffee growers,” he demanded.

source: http://www.starofmysore.com / Star of Mysore / Home> News / January 25th, 2021

Farmers take out tractor rally from Kutta to B’luru

Agriculture, Famous Personalities of Kodagu / Coorg, Leaders, Records, All
The tractor rally led by farmers was flagged-off at Kutta on Monday.

Urging the Central government to shelve the new farm laws and demanding support price for coffee, farmers and planters from Kodagu took out a tractor rally from Kutta, the border of Kodagu to Bengaluru, on Monday.

Gathering in large numbers, the farmers, along with their family members, including children, battled the cold weather and lashed out at the Central government.

The farmers seated in the tractors and jeeps raised slogans against the Central and state governments. They also demanded a minimum support price for coffee and pepper.

Probably for the first time in Kodagu, farmers, coffee planters, elected representatives from various political parties and labourers were part of the same protest.

The rally was held under the leadership of Raitha Sangha district president Kadyamada Manu Somaiah.

Speaking on the occasion, Kodava Federation president Kallichanda Vishnu Cariappa said that the farmers in the district have been toiling hard from the last three years. But, the crops have been destroyed in the recent untimely rainfall.

Having no other choice, the farmers have got down to the streets, demanding support from the government, he said.

Rajya Raitha Sangha president Badagalapura Nagendra said that the farmers have decided to take to the stir to claim their right.

Farmers from the district should be provided with a major share in the compensation announced by the Central and the state governments as they have incurred huge losses, he said.

MLC Shantheyanda Veena Achaiah said that the government should give up its stubbornness and should listen to the farmers’ issues.

The rally comprising tractors, jeeps, cars and bikes travelled to Mysuru via T Shettigeri, Hudikeri, Ponnampet, Gonikoppa, Titimati and Anechowkuru.

A protest will be held in front of Freedom Park in Bengaluru on January 26.

ZP member Mukkatira Shivu Madappa, Lt Col Baleyada Kalaiah, Codava National Council president N U Nachappa, former MLC C S Arun Machaiah and others were present.

source: http://www.deccanherald.com / Deccan Herald / Home> State> Mangaluru / by DHNS Gonikoppa / January 26th, 2021

Coffee growers to join Jan. 26 jatha in Bengaluru to seek MSP for their crop

Agriculture, Business & Economy, Coffee, Kodagu (Coorg), Records, All

They complain of raw deal from State government

Coffee growers from Kodagu, who are seeking minimum support price (MSP) for coffee, will join the farmers’ protest scheduled to be held in Bengaluru on January 26 against the Centre’s farm bills.

The coffee growers are seeking to draw attention to their predicament over coffee prices remaining stagnant for more than 20 years while the costs they incurred on labour and other agricultural inputs including fertilizers have increased manifold.

“One 50 kg bag of robusta coffee used to fetch ₹3,000 in the mid- and late nineties. The price has remained unchanged more than two decades later also” said Karnataka Rajya Raitha Sangha (KRRS) leader from Kodagu Manu Somaiah.

Coffee growers are putting up with the stagnant prices of coffee while shouldering the burden of rising costs of labour and other agricultural inputs, he said and sought to know why the State is refusing to extend MSP to coffee when neighbouring Kerala was extending the same to its growers.

“About a week ago, we held a meeting and decided to press for our demand for MSP for coffee”, said Mr. Somaiah. “When Kerala, which produces barely 20 per cent of the country’s coffee production, can extend MSP, why can’t Karnataka, which accounts for more than two-thirds of India’s coffee production do the same?”, he questioned.

He said their appeals for MSP are met with the standard reply that coffee was a commercial crop that is not entitled for support price. “But, when Kerala government can do it, what logical explanation can Karnataka government give?”, he asked.

The coffee growers of Kodagu have been at the receiving end of nature’s fury during the last three years when the region was struck by landslides and floods, causing widespread damage to the crop.

Mr. Somaiah recalled that the coffee growers were receiving remunerative prices when it was regulated by Coffee Board till the early nineties. But, it shifted to open market policy soon thereafter on the same promise that the present farm bills are assuring – that the farmers will earn more. But, it was not to be, he regretted adding that the prices are now determined by the trading in New York and London Stock Exchanges.

Mr. Somaiah said the coffee growers in Kodagu are also upset with the State government and Centre over the falling price of black pepper, which is grown as inter-crop. The price of black pepper had reached ₹900 per kg till the Centre started allowing imported pepper from Vietnam and other countries to flood the domestic market and bring down the prices to the level of ₹300 per kg, he lamented.

The coffee growers of Kodagu are joining forces with the farmers from the rest of the State, who are planning to gather in Bengaluru on January 26. The coffee growers from Kodagu will gather at Kutta on January 25 before leaving in about 150 vehicles towards Bengaluru. The coffee growers will hold demonstrations in Ponnampet and Gonikoppa before spending the night in Mandya and proceeding to Freedom Park in Bengaluru on January 26.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> States> Karnataka / Mysuru – January 23rd, 2021

Mushrooming interest

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

Women in Kodagu are increasingly learning cultivation and becoming self-reliant

Madikeri :

Don’t underestimate the mushrooms. They are having their moment. This is a story about homemakers in Kodagu district. And it is also a story about mushrooms. “I grew up wanting to do something unique,” says Ambika Achaiah, 35, a budding entrepreneur from Cheyyandane village. While Ambika dreamt of starting a unique venture, she was married off after completion of her degree and nearly 10 years passed in managing home and hearth.

Nevertheless, her ambition to achieve something different was reignited when she stumbled upon a radio broadcast about free training for mushroom cultivation in 2019. “I was excited when I learnt of it. I travelled nearly 60 km to Krishi Vignyana Kendra in Gonikoppal to avail the training under the National Skill Development Corporation programme,” recalls Ambika. While she thought that it would last a day, she was shocked to learn that it was a 25-day course. Encouraged by KVK scientist Dr Somashekar, Ambika completed it and received a certification in oyster mushroom cultivation.

Ambika is currently working at the mushroom cultivation lab in KVK and experimenting on different varieties of mushroom cultivation. “I started off with spawn cultivation. But now I am versatile in mushroom tissue culture and the entire process of mushroom cultivation. I have applied for a loan and I will soon set up my own unit at my house,” she says.

While she is involved in developing the popular oyster mushroom variety, she is also experimenting on cultivating the seasonal milky mushroom. Apart from the cultivation process, she trains other like-minded homemakers. “Various women cooperative societies and other self-help groups invite me for motivational talk. I encourage women to take up the profitable mushroom business and I have also provided training for a few women in mushroom cultivation,” Ambika says.

Rashmi Bharadwaj, 40, is also a homemaker. She indulged in gardening – especially in orchid cultivation – as a hobby and sometimes even earned some pocket money. However, it has been nearly two years since Rashmi stepped into the field of mushroom cultivation and today she runs her own unit.
“I run a mushroom cultivation unit on contract basis with KVK in Gonikoppal. It would take nearly Rs 15 lakh to establish a unit. However, it was easier for me to work on contract as I did not have to worry about initial investment. And all the equipment is readily available,” says Rashmi.

After being a homemaker for several years, she started working for a minimum remuneration at a mushroom spawn cultivation unit. But after eight months into this job, she started cultivating oyster mushrooms from scratch and she now sells 100 to 120 harvested oyster mushroom bags per day. “I work from 9 am to 5 pm every day. Apart from the ready-to-cook oyster mushroom bags, I also manufacture Ready To Fruit Bags, which sell like hot cakes among mushroom farmers,” she explains. Ready to Fruit bags (RTF) are mushroom seeded and grown straw bags of oyster mushrooms.

The clients who buy them have to cut out a few holes in these RTF bags and keep them in a well-lit area (not under direct sunlight) and sprinkle water regularly. Oyster mushrooms bloom from these packets, without the risk of any contamination and effortlessly within five to seven days. Another shining example is Lakshmi, 55, who worked as a domestic help and switched many jobs in between even as she worked as a hospital help at daily wages for 25 years until recently. “I worked at a hospital as a cleaning staffer for many years. But I wanted to become self-reliant,” she recalls.

Lakshmi stumbled upon the mushroom cultivation training programme and she found her path to independence. She is cultivating mushrooms on a small scale and has set up her own unit in a single bedroom. “Contamination-free is the key to mushroom cultivation and the business gets profitable only when the set-up is unpolluted. I collect paddy straws from a known people, bake and dry the straw, purchase mushroom growing bags and start spawn cultivation by keeping the bags under the cot – where the temperature is less and visibility is low,” says Lakshmi.

Though she is self-reliant, she says, “I am unable to manufacture mushrooms on a large scale as I lack the required funds to purchase improved facilities. However, I am happy with my small scale set-up, which is better than working for someone.”

Oyster Mushrooms
After White Button, oyster mushrooms are mostly cultivated and consumed across India.  These have many health benefits as they are rich in proteins, vitamins, minerals and fibres, and low in calories. They are believed to help increase immunity.

Women Turn Entrepreneurs
The mushrooms, bought by customers across Kodagu, are not just making for a tasty treat but are enabling entrepreneurship skills among many women. The cultivated mushrooms are sold throughout the year at local markets, and even  home delivery is available on request. 

source: http://www.newindianexpress.com / The New Indian Express / Home> States>Karnataka / by Prajna G R / Express News Service / January 17th, 2021

Money Honey

Agriculture, Business & Economy, Famous Personalities of Kodagu / Coorg, Green Initiatives / Environment, Inspiration / Positive News and Features, Leaders, Nature, Records, All

Last week, we got some bitter news about something sweet. The Centre for Science and Environment (CSE) reported that when they subjected 13 prominent brands selling honey to a sophisticated test in Germany for adulteration, except three, all other brands failed.

The only three brands that passed were Saffola, Markfed Sohna and Nature’s Nectar.  

As fear of refined sugar has increased, so also adulteration of other sources of sweetness. Best example is jaggery. 

As jaggery gained popularity as an alternate to sugar, its adulteration started. Mandya jaggery was very popular until jaggery makers from Uttar Pradesh came calling and started adding chemicals to rapidly increase production capacity and visual appeal.

In a report submitted to the Government by the Co-operation Department,  it found chemicals like “calcium hydroxide, sodium hydrosulphite (hydrose), sodium formaldehyde sulfoxylate (safolite), ortho-phosphoric acid, seashells, baking soda, oil (castor/coconut) and orange-red powder (artificial food colouring) in jaggery blocks”!  We educated urbanites find it hard to even pronounce the names of these chemicals which makes us wonder if farmers are making jaggery or chemical engineers? 

This is a serious issue because India accounts for over 70%  of world’s jaggery production and such practices will ruin our reputation and income. Already Mandya jaggery brand has taken a hit as the use of chemicals has significantly reduced its shelf-life which has forced many wholesalers to sell their product in distress.

We in India don’t seem to take food adulteration seriously. Be it the Government, the producer or the consumer. It is common knowledge that  fruit-sellers use calcium carbide because it reacts with the moisture emanated by the respiration of the fruit. And when it does, a gas called acetylene emanates which helps in ripening the fruit. This gas is carcinogenic! Yet, rarely do you see the Government personnel raiding these “ripening sheds.”

Vegetables are not spared either. Bittergourd and lady’s finger are dipped in copper sulphate water to make them look greener. Brinjals are coated with old oil to give them a shine; carrots are dipped in red dye-water and watermelons injected with gulal to make them red from inside. Rarely do you see officials confronting, let alone arresting these colouring artists.

Most of us turn a blind eye to this saying that we cook hot meals and all “these things die”… not really.

But the fallout of this food adulteration should be the rebirth of kitchen gardens and organic farms. It’s time to move on from show gardens to kitchen gardens. 

Every year during Dasara the Government has a competition for the “Most beautiful home garden.” May be the same publicity must be given to “Best kitchen garden.”

P.S.: Speaking of organic food, once a husband went to a store to shop for his wife who was very health-conscious and wanted organic, pesticide-free vegetables. The husband walked upto the section where he saw vegetables stacked and asked the sales man if  the vegetables were organic. The sales boy didn’t understand. The irritated husband picked up some vegetables and said, “Listen, my wife is health-crazy. So I need to know have these vegetables been sprayed with any harmful pesticides?” 

The petrified sales man replied, “No, Sir. You’ll have to do that yourself!”

Ramakrishna Ashram Swamijiand Coorg Honey

Speaking of bees and honey, once upon a time Coorg was the top producer of  honey. 

In the early 1940s, there used to be a Government-appointed “Bee Man” whose job was to go from house to house, from estate to estate,  teaching planters about the importance of bees to the environment and also teach them how to maintain a Bee Box and extract honey.

In fact, Scientific Bee farming in Kodagu was initiated by Sri Shambhavananda Swamiji, the man who founded the Sri Ramakrishna Vidyashala in Mysuru.  In 1928, when Swami Shambhavananda became the first President of Sri Ramakrishna Saradashrama in Ponnampet, Kodagu, he initiated a project for Bee-keeping. Since he was born in Kodagu as Chengappa into the Thelapanda family, he knew that Kodagu was very suitable for bee-keeping and could contribute to the local economy.

Sri Shambhavananda Swamiji

Soon he prepared the first apiary and in 1936  set up the ‘Coorg Honey and Wax Producers Co-operative Society Ltd.’  This became the first honey producers co-operative in India. 

Shambhavananda Swamiji even developed a new method of bee-keeping now known as ‘Coorg Standard Hive.’ No wonder Coorg came to produce almost 50% of all honey produced in Karnataka.

Now, if any one has space around their homes or in their farms there are many workshops that teach bee-keeping. In fact, there is an Apiculture Training Centre at Bhagamandala, Kodagu, where one can take a few weeks training in bee-keeping.

It may be recalled that the Government in 2014, to increase production and marketing of Coorg Honey, ordered the setting up of a “Honey Park” at Bhagamandala, Kodagu. The park was to be managed by the Food Processing Division of the Agriculture

Department. Later, Rs. 60 lakh was also released for the project. An old building was refurbished and not much else has been heard. Now, six years on neither is there a Park nor is there any Honey. Guess, like most Government projects it was all about the  “Money Honey”?

e-mail: vikram@starofmysore.com

source: http://www.starofmysore.com / Star of Mysore / Home> Columns in Black & White / by Vikram Muthanna / December 19th, 2020

Give Top Priority To Cultivate Coffee Naturally In Kodagu

Agriculture, Business & Economy, Coffee News, Coffee, Kodagu (Coorg), Famous Personalities of Kodagu / Coorg, Green Initiatives / Environment, Leaders, Nature, Records, All

Ponnampet Forestry College Dean calls upon growers to maintain quality from estate to cuppa; 18th AGM of Kodagu Mahila Coffee Jagruthi Sangha held

Madikeri:

Coffee growers should give priority for cultivating tasty coffee naturally, said Ponnampet Forestry College Dean Dr. Cheppudira G. Kushalappa. 

He was speaking at the 18th Annual General Body meeting of Kodagu Mahila Coffee Jagruthi Sangha held at a private hotel in Madikeri recently. Though Vietnam and Brazil produces large quantity of coffee, they are unable to get back the amount invested in coffee cultivation. They use highest quality of fertilisers to cultivate the crop and most of the finances are drained out here. 

The growers of Kodagu must concentrate on cultivating coffee naturally by reducing the use of fertilisers. There are 360 species of trees inside the coffee estates in Kodagu. As a result, the ground gets good manure. This is the reason why Kodagu coffee is famous across the world. 

“The undeniable natural beauty and abundance in Kodagu — from rainfall to fertile soil and diverse water sources — has made the region a highly sought-after location to cultivate coffee. Coffee flourishes in a unique blend of climatic conditions that includes humidity, heat and rainfall. Kodagu is ideal for these conditions and the slopes of the Western Ghats ensure orthographic rainfall that measure between 60 to 80 inches,” he said. 

The abundant species of    shaded trees work together in a two-tier system to protect coffee plants. These trees also prevent soil erosion and provide mulch to act as fertiliser. “The soil of Kodagu is rich with nitrogenous material and has a good sub-surface drainage,” he said and called upon growers to maintain quality from the estate to the cuppa. 

Coffee Board quality expert Vikram Kuttaiah said that the prices of coffee have not increased drastically for the last 25 years. The maintenance of Arabica coffee was Rs. 25,000 per acre 25 years ago and now it has reached Rs. 80,000 per acre. The maintenance of Robusta variety has increased from   Rs. 10,000 to Rs. 60,000. 

 “The maintenance costs have increased manifold but the prices of coffee has remained stagnant. There is a huge disparity between production costs and end profits. There is a situation where the grower has to be satisfied with meagre income,”   he explained. 

Kodagu Mahila Coffee Jagruthi Sangha President Pandikuthira Chitra Subbaiah said that the Sangha has been creating awareness about Coorg Coffee since the last 18 years. Sangha Director Kumari Kunjappa has been provided permission by Kodagu District Administration to open an outlet at Coorg Village that is coming up near Raja’s Seat in Madikeri, she said.

source: http://www.starofmysore.com / Star of Mysore / Home> News / December 14th, 2020

Ramesh Changappa elected as Kodagu Hopcoms prez

Agriculture, Business & Economy, Famous Personalities of Kodagu / Coorg, Leaders, Records, All
Biddatanda Ramesh Changappa and Mallanda Madhu Devaiah were elected as the president and vice president of Kodagu district Hopcoms in Madikeri.

Biddatanda Ramesh Changappa has been elected as the president of Kodagu district Hopcoms, while Mallanda Madhu Devaiah has been elected as the vice president.

S P Ponnappa, Padiyammana V Mahesh, Leela Medappa, Sathish, Machimanda D Ganapathi, H M Sudheer, Baby Poovaiah, B A Harish, Nagesh Kundalpadi, Umesh Rao Urs, Poovappa Nayak and K M Manohar were elected as the directors.

The election was held in the office of the horticulture department.

Speaking on the occasion, the newly elected president said that various programmes will be organised through Hopcoms in the district in the coming days.

Measures will be taken to purchase the farm produce directly from farmers at a better price, he added.

Vice president Mallanda Madhu Devaiah said that it is a huge responsibility and he will strive for the betterment of Hopcoms.

source: http://www.deccanherald.com / Deccan Herald / Home> State> Mangaluru / by DHNS, Madikeri / November 27th, 2020

Puthari: Kodagu’s harvest festival

Agriculture, Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Green Initiatives / Environment, Nature, Records, All
People harvesting new crop. DH File Photo

Harvesting new crops is always a much-awaited occasion, with many festivals revolving around this event. One such harvest festival celebrated by Kodavas is Puthari (which translates to new rice), and it marks the first harvest of the paddy crop.

Puthari is celebrated in the Kodava month of Birchiyar, which falls in November and December. This year Puthari is on November 30.

“In the past, rice cultivation was what brought prosperity to Kodagu. There are beautiful images in our folk narratives of caravans of oxen, loaded with rice, setting off from ancestral homes to neighbouring regions indicating a thriving rice trade. Puthari celebrates the new crop of rice that promises a year of abundance; it’s a time of thanksgiving, and is the most important festival of the year,” says Kaveri Ponnapa, the author of The Vanishing Kodavas.

On a predetermined day, at a fixed time after dusk, the Nere Kattuvo ceremony is first held, wherein leaves of certain trees are tied together and later placed at different corners of the house. Men in traditional kupya chele and women wearing Kodava saree then go to the paddy field, led by a woman holding a taliyakki bolcha (lamp) under the light of the full moon. 

Here the Khadh Edpo ceremony is held. The eldest man of the family called the patedara cuts an odd number of paddy sheaves (khadh) and they return carrying the harvested crop in a kuthi (a sacred bamboo container) while uttering Poli Poli deva — praying for a bountiful year.

The paddy sheaves are placed in front of the nellaki bolcha (sacred lamp) at the ainmane (ancestral home) and people pray for a good harvest. Then two special types of desserts — thambutt (made from roasted rice flour and mashed banana) and rice payasa — are prepared.

The day ends with children bursting firecrackers and a wholesome meal.

Traditionally, Puthari would be followed by week-long celebrations. On the days following Puthari, a few people would go door-to-door visiting every house in the hamlet and sing songs eulogising the family members of that house, beating a dudi (traditional hourglass drum). This formed part of the mane paado (singing at houses) ceremony. Children of the hamlet would tag along with these singers in merriment.

On the last day of the celebrations, people would visit the mandh, the sacred grounds of the village, and men would perform kol aat, a traditional stick dance.

Men performing Kol aat as part of Puthari celebrations. DH File Photo

Building solidarity 

“Rice cultivation is a community-oriented activity — one had to rely on neighbours to help with transplanting and harvesting. So, you find that many of the customs — the dances, feasts, the bringing in of new household implements and so on — are all directed at building solidarity. It’s also a time when we reconnect with our own clans; the dudi patkaras (traditional singers) walk from one ancestral home to another, singing the histories of clans, re-establishing our links with our heritage, and the land,” says Kaveri.

While many Kodavas have moved outside of Kodagu for their careers, Puthari is still celebrated in the same spirit of togetherness. Kodava families in a region get together, and celebrate this festival upholding the traditions.

“Since we stay in Bengaluru, every year on Puthari, we make it a point to go to Bangalore Kodava Samaja, which we regard as our ainmane in the city. There we symbolically harvest some paddy crop and bring back home the paddy sheaves to the tunes of Poli Poli deva,” says Mundanda Sudha Poovaiah, an advocate practicing in Bengaluru.

source: http://www.deccanherald.com / Deccan Herald / Home> Spectrum> Spectrum Statescan / by Dhanyata M Poovaiah , Bengaluru / November 18th, 2020