As COVID-19 raged across the globe, leading to lockdowns in key markets such as the European Union, coffee exports from the subcontinent were stymied. A smaller crop made it a double whammy.
TREND
Expectations of a larger crop in 2020-21 (Oct-Sep) and rising at-home consumption have, however, led to hope of a resurgence.
“Coffee exports are slowly returning to normal… exports were affected because during the lockdown, due to logistic constraints, we were unable to move coffee beans from estates to curing works as only cured coffee is exported,” said Karnataka Planters’ Association Secretary Anil Savor.
According to Cogencis data, India’s coffee exports since the beginning of this year are down 11% on year at 257,107 tn. But with favourable weather conditions ahead of the beginning of harvesting next month, exporters and planters expect a bigger crop and, in turn, higher overseas sales.
“It (exports) will improve from January… Pent-up demand is not visible yet, but there should be a 5-10% improvement during Jan-Mar… given the low prices that farmers are getting, there will be rush to sell since they need cash flow requirement,” said Coffee Exporters Association President Ramesh Rajah.
India’s coffee year begins in October and growers start harvesting during Nov-Dec. According to India Meteorological Department data, the country received 9% above-normal rainfall during Jun-Sep, a positive for coffee plantations.
“In coffee production, one year you have less output, then the next year you have a bigger one, as coffee is basically cyclic. So, going by that, we think this year we have a good output,” Bengaluru-based exporter Prashanth Nagaraj said.
The market estimates coffee output in the 2020-21 season at 300,000-320,000 tn, sharply higher than an estimated 270,000-280,000 tn in 2019-20. The Coffee Board of India’s final production estimate of 298,000 tn for 2019-20 is well above market estimates.
The pandemic has completely changed the trend of coffee consumption across the globe, with a shift away from consumption in cafes.
“The overall market is dull… but it will improve because during the pandemic, there was a sharp drop in offtake but now, we are seeing at-home-consumption is increasing, so a large part of out-of-home consumption is being taken over by at-home consumption,” Rajah said.
“…Italians (demand from Italy) will come back to us. Jan-Mar, we don’t see a very big increase but in Apr-Jun, we see much more improvement… Also, West Asia, Germany, and other traditional markets will also buy from India.”
India may, however, face some competition as it sells the standard arabica variety at a premium of 30 cents per pound in international markets because of its superior quality compared to coffee from other parts of the globe.
Brazilians sell their produce at a discount of 20 cents per pound, former Coffee Board of India member Jaya Prasad H.B. said.
Brazil is the world’s top producer and exporter of coffee, while India is the seventh-largest grower.
With several positives on the horizon, Indian coffee exporters are hoping for sunny days ahead. End
US$1 = 73.36 rupees
Edited by Subham Mitra
source: http://www.cogencis.com / Cogencis / by S. Anirudh Iyer and Preeti Bhagat / October 13th, 2020
A sarpakaavu, or traditional sacred space for snakes, in Kerala. Photo: Manoj Karingamadathil/Wikimedia Commons CC BY SA 3.0
Underlying cultural and religious beliefs in serpent deities has played a role in protecting iconic animals such as snakes and other species dwelling inside the Western Ghats’ sacred groves. But these beliefs are eroding among youth and economic pressures are eating into the groves, threatening their very existence. Experts call for greater state government protection to preserve the groves’ legacy for the benefit of posterity.
For millennia, local communities in India have maintained sacred groves where they managed natural resources and many of these are tied to their cultural and religious beliefs. In the Western Ghats, such groves are relatively undisturbed patches of evergreen forests that sometimes have a pond, stream, or well that ensures perennial water supply. Often located outside of protected areas, sacred groves are rich in biodiversity, housing many threatened and endemic species of plants and animals. In many cases, these fragments are the only relict forests that remain outside the protected area system.
The mountain chain of the Western Ghats along the western coast of India is older than the Himalayan mountains; in 2012, 39 sites in the region were inscribed on the World Heritage Sites list by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO). While India boasts the highest number of sacred forests globally, with estimates suggesting at least 100,000, the Western Ghats is endowed with a large concentration. Although many are undocumented, Kodagu district in the southern state of Karnataka alone was estimated to have 1,200 sacred groves.
Many of these verdant groves are associated with gods and are named after deities. The worshipping of serpent gods known as nāga plays a central role in many groves in Kerala known as sarpakaavu in Malayalam (snake garden or grove), and often house idols of serpent deities.
Worshipping involves unique rituals that are performed in sarpakaavu and temples with serpent deities. One common ritual involves pouring a preparation of water, milk, rice powder, and turmeric on the deities and devotees call this offering as ‘Noorum palum’, said Dileepkumar R., director of Indriyam Biologics Pvt. Ltd., Jayakumari Kunjamma, senior research fellow at the University of Kerala who has also authored a book on snake worship in Kerala, and Divya S. chief scientific officer of Indriyam Biologics Pvt. Ltd.
Sacred groves: a refuge for snakes
In a study published last year, researchers surveyed visitors of 30 sacred groves in Kannur and Kasaragod districts in the state of Kerala and Kodagu (Coorg) in Karnataka. They found that visitors were less likely to harm snakes inside the groves than outside. And, a large proportion of visitors who did not harm snakes even outside of the groves worshipped snake deities.
Felix Yuan, the lead author of the study and doctoral student at the University of Hong Kong had expected a “fair number of people would not harm snakes inside the groves” given the role of snake deities in the region, but he was surprised by the results. An overwhelming 96% of the visitors surveyed showed pacifist attitudes towards snakes encountered inside the groves, whereas only 60% had the same reaction outside of the groves. The reverence towards snake deities and pacifism towards snakes pervaded all the sacred groves regardless of whether they had idols of snake deities present or not.
“The broader implications of this study lie in the intricacies of the relationships between sacred natural sites and local communities,” explained Yuan, “where the reverence for a specific plant or animal can potentially result in its protection despite the ongoing degradation of other ‘natural’ qualities of these sites.”
Visitors tend to live in harmony with snakes inside the groves (sarpakaavu). Dileepkumar, who frequently visited sarpakaavu in Kerala since childhood, said that if people spotted snakes, they would not touch the creatures, leaving them to slither around the groves freely.
V.C. Balakrishnan, who has also grown up in Kerala, had on some occasions, encountered snakes in the sarpakaavu. “I will just wait for them to pass by,” he said.
Serpent god worship and the role of taboos
At the heart of the conservation of snakes in the groves lie taboos, which are essentially an interplay of devotion and fear, according to U. Prashanth Ballullaya, co-author of the study and a doctoral student at the Central University of Kerala. Local communities believe that their ancestors created the sarpakaavus to provide shelter to snakes, he said, adding that snakes, especially cobras, were considered divine.
Fear also plays a prominent role. Harming snakes is a sin, Ballulaya gleaned from the surveys. If anyone harms snakes inside the groves, they will be cursed and more snakes will emerge, said some visitors. One of the repercussions of killing snakes according to traditional beliefs is that the family could be deprived of progeny and hence there is a cultural practice of worshipping the habitats of snakes among communities in the Western Ghats, explained T.V. Ramachandra, professor at the Indian Institute of Science (IISc), Bengaluru. “Later, gradual transitions to worshiping idols with snake inscriptions happened and eventually, temples with concrete structures replaced these,” he said.
A king cobra. Credit: Rushenb/Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0
Shonil Bhagwat, professor at the Open University, United Kingdom, said “a ‘healthy’ fear of wild animals is good because that discourages people from going to parts of sacred groves, naturally creating ‘no go’ areas.” He believes that “these so-called ‘fences of fear’ can help protect biodiversity within sacred groves by simply keeping people out of the groves, or at least some parts of the groves.”
Communities in the rural highlands of the Western Ghats in Kodagu and adjoining urban lowlands in Kasaragod were surveyed and the results were published in 2019. Researchers found that both urban and rural communities did not abuse the groves by cutting trees, dumping waste, hunting small animals, taking soil and foliage, and damaging termite mounds. And those with nāga deities, who are not only highly revered but also feared, were rarely abused.
The protection of snakes was extended to other taxa as well. Palatty Allesh Sinu, assistant professor at the Central University of Kerala and co-author of the community perception study was surprised to learn that “even taking a leaf from the sacred groves is considered a taboo or abuse of the land.” Believers told him that “the organic matter is food for insects, which is food for frogs and snakes!” Because of this snake-centric food chain, Sinu and his team were forbidden from collecting insects from the groves.
Rural communities had stronger cultural and religious beliefs than their urban counterparts, who valued groves also for their environmental benefits. Although the reasons for this are difficult to answer, said Sinu, one farmer told him “our agriculture, economy and lives are bound to these forests around us … When there was no access to a temple, these forests and local deities living inside the forest were the resort for us. When the upper castes have direct access to Gods, the backward caste people did not have.”
Erosion of beliefs
Community-preserved sacred groves in the Western Ghats are facing mounting pressures over the past decades. Many are shrinking in size or have disappeared altogether. At the time of its formation in 1956, Kerala boasted more than 10,000 sacred groves, but in 2015, only around 1200 remained, according to a report prepared by the Kerala State Assembly Committee on Forest, Environment, and Tourism. A global Nature study published in May reported that reptilian phylogenetic diversity in the Western Ghats is under very high levels of human disturbance.
“Earlier thesarpakaavu was a symbol of divinity and sanctity and it was with only utmost reverence that one was allowed to enter its premises,” said Dileepkumar, Kunjamma and Divya. “People were afraid to touch the trees let alone cut them. But the scenario has almost completely changed with the term ‘sarpakaavu’ being reduced to a mere social terminology. The infuriating demand for more land to accommodate the growing population coupled with the placid attitude of today’s generation has diminished the values of biodiversity and conservation,” they rued, adding that most people view the groves as wastelands, which could be used for construction.
Researchers have observed that youths are losing interest in sacred grove traditions. The loss of oral traditions that narrated stories behind the groves has been cited as one factor. Bhagwat believes that awareness of sacred groves and nature conservation should start early. “If children are introduced to the creepy crawlies that live in sacred groves and maintain a healthy forest ecosystem, they will learn to like this real, everyday nature that is found in landscapes where people farm, live and work,” he said.
V.C. Balakrishnan, who is the secretary of the NGO Society for Environmental Education in Kerala (SEEK), also stresses the role of educating youth to ensure the protection of the groves. SEEK, he explains, holds many camps on the importance of the sacred groves and biodiversity.
On 25 September, Dileepkumar R. joined forces with a group of snake experts and developers and launched a mobile app called SnakeHub, which is dedicated to education and conservation. Currently, the app is a social responsibility initiative of Indriyam Biologics Pvt. Ltd., a Department of Scientific and Industrial Research recognised medical startup working on snakebite management and mitigation, but the group plan to register a society and keep it as an independently functioning body under the organisation. With 114 snake species, Kerala is the top three states in India in terms of species number (after Tamil Nadu, which has the highest, followed by West Bengal) and more than half of these are endemic to the Western Ghats, said Vivek Sharma, head of SnakeHub App.
A part of the Western Ghats. dotcompals/Flickr, CC BY 2.0
In both English and Malayalam, the app is the first on snakes in the state of Kerala. Apart from providing biological and ecological information on all of the species, the app also covers snakebites including a list of hospitals equipped to treat bites. “Snakebite is an important objective in our work and based on requirements, we will add facilities to provide snakebite-related solutions and education materials,” said Sharma.
Their goal is to expand the scope of the app to the rest of India in other regional languages to cater to rural communities. India accounts for almost half of the total number of annual deaths from snake bites worldwide. Earlier this year, a study estimated that over the last 20 years, 1.2 million people died from snake bites nationwide. Most of the deaths occurred in rural areas and farmers were most at risk especially during the monsoon season.
“Sanskritisation” and commercialisation
Over the years, there has been a trend towards “Sankritisation” of the groves, which involves the conversion of animistic deities in the sacred groves to mainstream Hindu gods and goddesses, explained Bhagwat. This phenomenon, he said, paves the way for cement structures such as temples and other buildings to be constructed in the groves, which compromises the conservation value of the groves because natural features such as trees disappear. “The only way to solve this problem is to make the custodians of sacred groves aware that trees are important to protect biodiversity within the groves,” Bhagwat said.
“The sacred groves are losing their sanctity and some of the groves are becoming temples for commercial purposes,” said Balakrishnan, explaining that the owner can earn an income through money offered to the deities.
es are taking over in urban areas and even creeping into the hinterlands. According to Sinu, some sacred groves are under the direct control of the state while others are privately owned. “Sadly, both want to generate money out of it,” he lamented. “Selling the land is a way,” he said. “So, they first relocate the deities including snake god through a ceremonial ritual and free the land.” Many owners are in the process of relocating deities, noted Sinu, adding that the ceremony is a costly affair amounting to about Rs 4 lakh (Rs 400,000).
Ramachandra of IISc echoes these concerns. Cemented buildings have become commercial spots, he said, revealing that many sacred groves that are under the revenue department have undergone large-scale conversion to other land uses such as villas and resorts in Kodagu. He attributes these conversions to a lack of knowledge among the bureaucracy of the ecological and hydrological significance of the groves, which has sustained the livelihood of communities in the region for centuries.
Dileepkumar, Kunjamma and Divya believe that people fail to realise that their exploitation of the groves could pave the way for their own doom. “With the sacred groves being deconstructed, the snakes that were taking refuge in the grove vegetation enter into human colonies leading to a conflict between snakes and humans thereby posing a threat to both snakes and humans alike,” they warned.
A sarpakaavu in Kerala. Photo: Manoj K/Wikimedia Commons CC BY SA 3.0
How to protect the sacred groves?
Apart from cultural beliefs, the coexistence of snakes and humans hinges on the preservation of the ancient sacred groves of the Western Ghats.
Experts believe that state governments must play a greater role in protecting the sacred groves of the Western Ghats. Earlier this year, the Kerala state government launched a program “Pachathuruthu” to cultivate ‘green islands’ in degraded land in a bid to preserve biodiversity. For the initiative, “they are planting trees that can give shade, shelter, and food for birds and other animals,” Sinu said. “We have over 1500 sacred groves in Kerala along the west coast. Why not declare them as natural sanctuaries?”
Ramachandra proposes that the Karnataka and Kerala Forest Department should assign heritage status to all the sacred groves of the Western Ghats under section 37(1) of the Biological Diversity Act 2002. Such a move, he argues, will ensure the conservation of these ecologically fragile regions.
Conservation of the groves should be initiated at both the community and government level, according to Dileepkumar, Kunjamma and Divya. “Snake groves are an inherent part of Kerala culture and conserving them must be our obligation. For implementing the conservation strategies initiated by the government, a special task force must be employed to ensure the protection and maintaining the status quo of the snake groves.”
Balakrishnan said that the forest department had funded building fences around the sacred groves a few years ago. “These sacred groves are to be protected surely because they are rich in biodiversity and they are the wealth of our future generations.”
This article was first published on Mongabay India .
source: http://www.science.thewire.in / The Wire, Science / Home> Science> Environment / October 29th, 2020
Commonly known as black vinegar, ‘kachampuli’ is indigenous to the district and is prepared by locals.
Madikeri :
Udiyanda Subbaiah, a 90-year-old resident of K Nidugane in Madikeri, is always busy during the rainy season. While most of the residents stay indoors due to the wet and chilly weather, Subbaiah (aka thaatha) goes out early in the morning and begins his search for the Malabar tamarind fruit – scientifically called Garcinia gummi-gutta.
With his feet buried in slush, Subbaiah walks miles to collect the ripened fruits. He rushes back home with a basketful and sits down to remove loads of bloodsucking leeches that have crept all over him. He later sets up a make-shift tent and begins the tedious job of brewing vinegar from the fruit – popularly known as Kodagu’s ‘kachampuli’.
Kodagu district is known for its exclusive traditional culinary and the ‘pandi’ (pork) curry tops the table. And adding the special tang to these traditional non-vegetarian dishes is ‘kachampuli’ or ‘pulineer’ (puli in Kodava language means sour). Commonly known as black vinegar, ‘kachampuli’ is indigenous to the district and is prepared by the locals during the rainy season.
“The ‘kachampuli’ fruits start to ripen following the first rain in the monsoon season. Every day, we collect the ripened fruits that are mostly fallen on the ground. We take the fruits home and separate the seeds. Next, we put the fruits on a handmade wooden grill, which is fixed atop wood fire. The fruits have to be dried at high temperature continuously for nearly two days. The dried fruits are then put in boiling water (measured in proper proportion) and kept in a container for over a day.
The pulp gets separated from the fruit in the boiling water and the water is strained, which is then heated constantly on wood fire for nearly two days…the water must be heated until it gets thick and starts foaming. It might take more than two days sometimes,” explains K A Vedavathi, a resident of Galibeedu, about this sour extract. She has been brewing ‘kachampuli’ for nearly 25 years now.
While there are various methods of making ‘kachampuli’, Subbaiah follows the simplest one. “Until the extracted vinegar is thick and filled with flavour, the method used to brew it will not make much of a difference,” he opines. Subbaiah collects the ripe fruits, squeezes the pulp and brings the liquid to perfect blend by constantly heating it – sometimes for two days straight.
Kodengada Sumithra Nanaiah of Kiruguru village has been brewing ‘kachampuli’ in the most authentic way for 25 years now. “A funnel-like structure is raised using wooden logs and this structure is called ‘bhalley’ in Kodava language. Banana leaves are used to cover the funnel and the ‘bhalley’ is filled with the ripened fruits. The structure is covered to prevent rainwater entering it and a container is placed under the filter. Once the fruits start to ferment, the juice drops down into the container. The liquid collected is then heated on wood fire and the thickened extract is ‘kachampuli’ or ‘pulineer’,” explains Anju Thimmaiah, daughter-in-law of Sumithra.
The popularity of this black vinegar is reaching worldwide even as Michelin Star Chef Gordon Ramsay was introduced to its authentic taste during his recent visit to Kodagu. ‘Kachampuli’ is usually bought from the locals who prepare it without adulteration. The numerous spices shops that have opened across the district have become good marketers for the product and the vinegar is reaching all across the country. “We sell the thickened vinegar at Rs 700 to Rs 800 per 750 ml bottle. The same is sold at a higher price in retail shops, but the product at retail shops is prone to adulteration and is usually watery,” explains Ramyashree, daughter of Vedavathi.
The Ponnampet Forestry College has now started an initiative to rejuvenate the Garcinia gummi-gutta trees. They have started a nursery where grafts of the plant are sold to farmers. The college administration is also promoting the traditional art of brewing ‘kachampuli’ as the Garcinia gummi-gutta fruits are collected in large numbers from the farmers and the students of the college are involved in brewing the traditional vinegar.
PULI POINTS
‘Kachampuli’ is locally brewed by many residents and this earns the local families an annual income
This vinegar has a shelf-life of nearly three years
Malabar tamarind trees are not cultivated but are found naturally across the terrains of the district
Mother-daughter duo Vedavathi and Ramyashree at work. Nonagenarian Subbaiah brewing Kachampuli. Inset: Garcinia gummi-gutta fruit | Express
VARIOUS USES
Nothing goes waste while preparing ‘pulineer’. There is great demand for the dried pulp in neighbouring Kerala. It is sold between Rs 75 and Rs 100 per kg
source: http://www.newindianexpress.com / The New Indian Express / Home> States> Karnataka / by Prajna G R / Express News Service / October 25th, 2020
Dr. S.V. Narasimhan, a family physician based at Virajpet in Kodagu district, is an avid birder, nature lover, adept at computers, Karnatak music and astronomy.
Author of Feathered Jewels of Coorg, a field-guide to 310 species of birds found in Coorg, Dr. Narasimhan is the pioneer in spreading wildlife conservation messages through his unique hand-painted Wildlife Message Cards that are sent free to individuals throughout the world to mark the Wildlife Week.
Total number of hand-painted cards made by him this year is 1,930; in 36 years, 72,655 cards. Total recipients this year including Star of Mysore – 1,010; in 36 years – 13,004 persons.
The Special Wildlife Messenger of this year is Red-whiskered Bulbul (Pycnonotus jocosus) — This is the most common garden bird of India. It has a black chest that is turned forwards and has bright red patches on the cheeks and vent. Melodiously vocal, it feeds on fruits, nectar and small insects.
Bulbuls are mostly monogamous. They build an open cup-shaped nest made of rootlets and leaves lined with soft fibre. They live for about 10-11 years.
source: http://www.starofmysore.com / Star of Mysore / Home> News / October 20th, 2020
Six blue eggs of the rare Indian Robin bird were found at a coffee estate in Kodagu recently.
The 6 eggs were found nesting securely in a nest made of hay on a plant amidst the coffee estate.
The eggs were found by the farm workers of the estate owned by a woman named Pushpa in Bettathur village in Kodagu.
While the mother was found nowhere around the nest the eggs nested safe and secure from the current harsh climate.
According to reports Robins usually lay four eggs and then stop. However, Pushpa and her staff found six bright blue eggs in this nest.
It is the female bird’s job to maintain the proper incubation temperature, keeping the eggs warm during cold weather and shaded during hot weather.
The blue colour in robin eggs is due to biliverdin, a pigment deposited on the eggshell when the female lays the eggs.
There is some evidence that higher biliverdin levels indicate a healthier female and brighter blue eggs. Eggs laid by a healthier female seemed to encourage males to take more interest in their young ones.
source: http://www.newsable.asianetnews.com / Asia Net Newsable / Home> English News> India / by Team Newsable / Bengaluru – October 15th, 2020
Indira Ashok Shah, a Bengaluru terrace gardener, shares tips on how to grow and care for a coffee plant at home.
For my parents, the day begins only after that first sip of filter coffee makes its way into their bodies. I’ve heard people refer to filter coffee as the elixir that gives them the energy to take on the day.
For all the coffee fanatics out there -what if there was a way to grow your own coffee plant, perhaps in your terrace or even balcony. You need not be living in Coorg, or Chikmagalur for this – you can grow them anywhere, says Indira Ashok Shah, an avid terrace gardener based in Bengaluru has successfully been nurturing a coffee plant on her terrace and in this article, she shall show you how you can do the same.
Indira’s coffee plant is almost ten feet tall from the ground and is lush with coffee berries. She also mentions that it has been with her for almost six years now. “I get about one kilogram of coffee powder annually thanks to my plant,” she says.
Things You Will Need To Grow Coffee Plant
Coffee plant in Indira’s terrace.
A 20-litre bucket (Indira has used a regular paint bucket)
Compost
Cocopeat
Soil
Stones
A well shaded area
Step 1
You will need to make three holes in the bucket you are using. This is for drainage and is extremely important that you do this. Once you make the holes place a small slab or piece of stone over the holes.
Do not cover the hole completely; it is important that when there is excess water in the bucket, it is able to drain out comfortably.
Fill the bucket with two parts of soil, two parts of cocopeat, and two parts of compost.
Click here to read up on how to make your own compost at home.
Step 2
The coffee cherries after being harvested
Find a semi-shaded place to keep your coffee plant.
Do make note that coffee plant does not need direct harsh sunlight so find a good place for it to grow well.
It can also be kept indoors as long as they get some amount of sunlight each day.
Step 3
The coffee plant likes moisture and therefore you must ensure that the soil is always slightly moist and does not get dry.
The test to check whether the soil is adequately damp is to insert a stick in the soil. If it goes into the soil easily, then the soil moisture content is good.
While the soil must be moist there must not be any stagnant water on the surface.
Cocopeat is added to the soil to help it retain moisture.
How To Propagate Coffee Bean
Allow the coffee bean to ripen well. Once it is dried up, sow the bean into the same pot that you have made.
Once sown, ensure that the plant is kept under indirect sunlight.
Air Layering is another method that is used to propagate
Click here to watch the video about following the air layering technique.
Things To Know
Coffee growing in a bucket.
Once every 10 or 15 days, do add more compost 2. Do not add any chemical fertiliser, pesticide, or anything additional to the plant 3. If you have a pest attack, just use a neem spray or make a mixture of Ginger-Garlic-Green Chilli (GGG) 4. To make the GGG mixture, take equal quantities of all three, make a paste, strain it and use that solution on plants, which have been attacked by pests. 5. Once the berries start turning brown, you can harvest them. 6. This can then be taken to a local coffee blender. 7. To add richness to the coffee, Indira adds chicory to the coffee powder and says her blends are usually 80 per cent coffee and 20 per cent chicory. 8. You can grow coffee across India, and Indira says that all one needs to keep in mind is to provide it with a shaded area to grow. 9. There is no particular season in which one needs to start growing coffee, just make sure that it is placed in a shaded area. 10. Coffee beans may be available at your local nursery and if you are unable to find it you can reach out to Indira as well. 11. If you get a graft and grow it, the plant will take about two years to grow and fruit. 12. Whereas if you start from scratch and sow the seeds then a minimum of five to six years is needed. So patience is the key. 13. Ensure that you water the plant every day and if the soil surface feels dry then twice a day as well. 14. You could also consider making your own cocopeat, which is nothing but the dried husk of the coconut churned in a mixie to get a good powder-like consistency. This, when sprinkled on the plant surface, helps to retain moisture for longer.
How And When To Harvest Coffee Berries
Wait for the berries to ripen and turn brown.
Pluck the ripened berries and remove the skin off the seed/bean.
Immerse all the seeds/beans into water and let it be until the skin and pulp completely leaves the seed/beans.
Sun dry the seeds/beans well to remove all water and moisture.
Once done, you can take the seeds/beans and get the coffee ground or do it at home.
You can click on the video below for a better understanding of how to grow coffee and care for the plant.Prom
“Please grow it by yourself and just refrain from using chemical fertilisers. Collect all your wet waste and make your own compost,” she says in conclusion.
If you want to reach out to Indira and get coffee seeds from her to grow your coffee then you can reach out to her via this Whatsapp group or through her Facebook group.
(Edited by Vinayak Hegde)
source: http://www.thebetterindia.com / The Better India / Home> The Better Home / by Vidya Raja / October 06th, 2020
For the first time Kodagu coffee growers, who formed a farmer producer company, Biota Coorg FPC, have exported their crop directly to a roaster in Europe.
IB Bopanna, one of the founding directors of Biota Coorg
After suffering 50-70 per cent crop loss due to excessive rainfall and landslides over the last three years, small, mid-sized and large coffee growers in Kodagu district of Karnataka, who pooled in their coffees under Biota Coorg, are set to receive a 15-20 per cent premium, on an average.
Incorporated in January, Biota Coorg made its first direct export shipment of bulk branded coffees to a large roaster in Europe last week. A container consisting of 320 bags (60 kgs/per bag) of Robusta Cherry AB sourced from 75 of its members was shipped from Mangaluru port on September 30. The company plans to ship 10 more containers to different roasters across Europe, of which two containers are scheduled to be shipped in October and the rest by December. In addition, since its inception, Biota Coorg has directly sold Arabica coffees to local roasters and local cafes at a premium. The 10 founding directors of Biota Coorg, collectively have over 100 years of domain expertise in coffee growing and allied areas including exports of agri commodities, global marketing of coffees, agro-forestry, plantation management, organisation development and coffee quality enhancement through cupping.
Unique flavour
Grown under the shade of multiple species of endemic rainforest trees at an elevation of 3,000– 4,000 feet above sea level, Coorg coffees have distinct fruity notes because of the wild figs, citrus fruits that grow in the rainforests and caramel notes from the leaf litter-enriched soil. Because of the higher elevation, Robusta coffees from Kodagu take a longer time to mature and ripen, thereby resulting in a softer cup.
“The objective of incorporating Biota is to market and put Coorg Coffee on the world map by elevating its quality based on the region’s ecology and biodiversity,” IB Bopanna, one of the founding directors of Biota Coorg and former Senior Global Director- Coffee, The Coca-Cola Company, Atlanta, USA, told BusinessLine.
“Earlier growers were selling their coffee in bulk with little differentiation to local traders, at prevailing market prices. We are a cohort of 75 members (in our first year of operation) who have committed to superior on-farm harvesting and post harvesting standards that will command a premium in the international and domestic markets. We are committed to uphold the legacy of the region’s biodiversity by adhering to an audited standard in addition to RFA (Rainforest Alliance) certification, which we have applied for. All the coffee we procure is 100 per cent traceable. Every grower’s coffee is segregated, processed at the Tata Coffee facility in Kodagu, cupped and prepared specially to fit the requirement of high quality roasts, blends and brands.”
Community initiative
MB Ganapathy, former Chairman of KPA, said: “There are many large coffee growers who export their coffees in their individual capacities however, the majority who are small growers are dependent on the local traders to sell their coffee. Biota Coorg is a great community initiative that will benefit small coffee growers who can join hands and realise better prices for their produce by following quality practices set by Biota that will adhere to international standards of roasters.”
Bose Mandanna, a large grower and Biota member, said: “The advantage for international roasters is that they are ensured of a consistent supply of quality coffees from Biota. We have received a standard of good agricultural practices from Biota which we strictly follow including the use of chemicals and labour. We harvest the coffee at the right time, pulp it on the same day, wash it clean and dry it to the correct moisture levels, after which it is inspected by a Biota representative, who then further processes it in the curing works.”
source: http://www.thehindubusinessline.com / Business Line / Home> AgriBusiness / by Sangeetha Chengappa / Bengaluru / October 05th, 2020
Puttanna Kanagal cast Jagadish as the lead in ‘Phalitamsha’ even though he had no prior experience in acting.
After the first few days of shoot of Phalitamsha, he wanted to give up
Filmmaker Jai Jagadish had no background in films or interest in it during his childhood. He belonged to a family, where his father, a farmer, insisted on Jagadish becoming a double graduate.
Puttanna Kanagal cast Jagadish as the lead in ‘Phalitamsha’ even though he had no prior experience in acting. Filmmaker Jai Jagadish had no background in films or interest…
Childhood and films
Hailing from Somwarpet taluk, Kodagu, he belonged to a family of coffee, pepper, cardamom and paddy growers. “My family consisted of five daughters and two sons. My father was a farmer.”
The filmmaker studied at the government school nearby. “I was a naughty child and uncontrollable, so I was sent to study in Sri Ramakrishna Vidyashala, Mysuru.” Jagadish’s father insisted on him becoming a double graduate. He did his BA from St. Philomena’s College, Mysuru.
Jagadish never acted in a drama, and never thought of acting in films. “Cinema was not my cup of coffee. My friend, Manjappa, a college leader from Maharaja’s College asked me if I would act in a Puttanna Kanagal’s film, if he got me the role. I was amused by the idea and I challenged him to find me a role,” he says.
Jagadish had read in film magazines that no actor had been finalised for ‘Phalitamsha’. In a couple of days, he got a call for the role, against four heroines. “I said I wasn’t going to act in it. My friends tried to convince me. I told them that I had other intentions and want to start my own business,” he says.
Even so, he went to Bengaluru, to meet Puttanna Kanagal. “I was asked if I knew anything about acting and I immediately responded that I didn’t. My looks and physique came in my favour, I was offered the role. I was shocked.”
Jagadish was told to leave to Badami and join the shoot immediately, but he insisted on informing his family. “I made a lightning call to my father. I knew he wouldn’t agree, and as expected after I called and explained, expletives followed. In the corner of mind, I knew I shouldn’t let go off the opportunity so I went for it,” he says.
After a few days of shoot, he wanted to give up. “I had only one lungi and a toothbrush on me and I decided to flee from the sets. Kitty, Kanagal’s wife’s brother, saw me from a distance and asked me what I was doing, he told me to rethink and give best shot at acting,” Jagadish says.
Jagadish’s first film released in a grand manner but didn’t do well. “In ‘Phalitamsha’, some shots were taken at the flying training school, Jakkur. The principal of the school, Patil, was impressed by me and I spoke about my interest in flying. A year later, I met him on M G Road and he told me to meet him at the school next day,” he says.
Jagadish was asked to do some medical checkups and joined the school. He studied for almost two-and-a-half years, while he waited for acting roles. “S Siddalingaiah called me and asked me to play the role of Vishnuvardhan’s brother’s role in ‘Biligiriya Banadalli’,” he says.
The role with dark shades, created a new turn in his career. “Directors were looking for a young villain, which led me to many other films.”
He was soon seen in films like ‘Bandana’, ‘Paduvarahalli Pandavaru’, ‘Daranimandala’ and ‘Parajitha’
He has worked with different actors like Vishnuvardhan, Srinath, Rajkumar (in Guri), Puneeth Rajkumar. Ravi Chandran. “I’ve worked with maximum films with Vishuvardhan, he was my favourite hero and a good friend. I’ve acted with films in Ambareesh to…
Planter now
Jai Jagadish has an estate in Kodagu, and he calls himself a planter and farmer now. “This is my work now. I have decided to stay away from filmmaking as I won’t be able to withstand the losses now,” he says.
Demonetisation soaked the spirit of filmmaking off him. “Most people decided to not invest into films. After ‘Yaana’ that was directed by my wife and starred daughters Vainidhi, Vaibhavi and Vaisiri, didn’t do as expected in the box office, I decided to stay awayfrom production,” he adds.
source: http://www.deccanherald.com / Deccan Herald / Home> Entertainment> Entertainment News / by Tini Sara Anien / DHNS / October 04th, 2020
Dr. Chaitra Narayan, an entrepreneur, has been appointed as the Syndicate Member of University of Mysore.
As per the notification issued from the Office of the Governor, the term of office shall be for a period of three years with effect from Sept. 22, 2020.
Dr. Chaitra, Founder of Codagu Agritech and Shivam Distillations, holds a Ph.D and MSc in Microbiology from the University of Mysore.
She was selected by Rashtrapathi Bhavan, New Delhi, for the Festival of Innovation and Entrepreneurship in 2018 to present her ideas before President Ram Nath Kovind. She also presented the Biocapsule technology, which is a ‘Make in India’ initiative before Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
Currently working for the farmers of Kodagu, Hunsur and Periyapatna regions since 2016 towards alternative farming which involves cultivation of medicinal and aromatic plants, it has successfully led to an increase in revenue generation of farmers along with an assured buy-back market.
Codagu Agritech is a Biocapsule Manufacturing Company which helps farmers go for safe and sustainable farming while Shivam Distillations focuses on providing farmers of Hunsur and Periyapatna regions to cultivate aromatic crops as an alternative to tobacco cultivation.
An aromatic plant processing and distillation unit has been set up in the region to provide the farmers with the market at their doorstep.
source: http://www.starofmysore.com / Star of Mysore / Home> News / September 29th, 2020
Public criticism forces ZP to seek government’s help to deal with the situation resulting from bad roads
The members of Kodagu Zilla Panchayat have met Minister for Rural Development and Panchayat Raj K.S. Eshwarappa and urged him to release a sum of ₹20 crore for urgent repair of roads that have become unmotorable following heavy rains over the last three years.
Kodagu had witnessed widespread floods and landslides three years in a row, resulting in extensive damage to the road infrastructure and causing hardships to the local people. The bad roads have led to resentment against the elected representatives, especially the members of the Zilla Panchayat whom the public are blaming for the apathy.
The public have been resorting to novel protests across the district demanding immediate repair and asphalting of damaged roads. There have been instances of public planting saplings on the potholed roads to vent their ire.
A delegation from the Kodagu ZP led by president Harish met Mr. Eshwarappa in Bengaluru on Tuesday and apprised him of the condition of roads besides the urgency for releasing funds for their repair and asphalting.
In a letter to Mr. Eshwarappa, Mr. Harish said tourists had been sharing messages and photos on the poor condition of roads in Kodagu on various social media platforms.
He sought an immediate grant of ₹20 crore for improving the condition of roads.
source: http://wwww.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> States> Karnataka / by Special Correspondent / Mysuru – September 24th, 2020
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