The aroma of freshly roasted and packaged coffee, grown by way of natural farming at Kolli Hills by tribal women, would soon be available across the State.
About 615 tonnes of coffee, and 173 tonnes of pepper are grown at various places in Kolli Hills every year.
Tribal women who own a few acres of land cultivate these products, and used to sell to middlemen at a low price.
Now a Kolli Hills Arablee Coffee and Pepper Producers Federation has been formed under the Pudhu Vaazhvu District Society at Thembalam village to help tribal women improve their marketing skills, and give access to technology.
The federation will help them reduce cost of production, and maximise profits through collective action, said S. Rajathi, assistant project manager of the Livelihood.
She said that 1,232 women farmers who possess small lands will cultivate coffee, and pepper and sell to the Common Livelihood Group members, at market price.
After sorting, and grading, and the group members will hand over the products to the members of Common Livelihood Federation.
Machinery at a cost of Rs. 1.48 crore has been installed for bean roasting, grinding, blending, and packing of the products.
The products, ‘Kolli Hills Arablee Gold Coffee,’ and the ‘Kolli Hills Pepper Gold,’ will be launched soon.
The products will be made available at Kolli Hills, the Collectorate, and distribution centres across the State.
Coffee beans are now available at Rs. 450 a kg.
The members have applied for ‘Participatory Guarantee System’ of the Keystone Foundation in Kotagiri, a non-governmental organisation that certifies organic agriculture activities.
