The South Indian Coffee Growers Association (SICGA) has urged the Ministry of Commerce and Industry to repeal its decision to close junior liaison offices of the Coffee Board in various parts of the country.
Speaking to the media, K.J. Devassia, chairman of the organisation, said junior liaison offices functioning in rural areas were offering immense help to small-scale coffee growers. The offices provide advisory and information about various schemes and incentives offered by the board to growers.
The closure of such offices will adversely impact the farming community at a time when the price of coffee beans has declined to the lowest level, Mr. Devassia said.
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The Ministry of Commerce and the Coffee Board are adopting anti-farmer polices, and they are yet to consider the fair demands of farmers, including fixing minimum support price for coffee beans, he added.
“The Ministry should fix an MSP of ₹200 a kg of coffee beans, as the price of the produce had reached the lowest in the past 10 years, he added. If they continue their anti-farmer stance, the organisation will launch an indefinite agitation with the support of similar bodies in the neighbouring States,” Mr. Devassia said.