Traditionally coffee was confined to Karnataka, Kerala and Tamil Nadu, but gradually spread to Andhra and Orissa. Envisaging coffee demand to reach around 2 lakh tonnes by 2000 AD, the National Commission on Agriculture (NCA) pointed out the need to expand coffee to non-traditional areas through public sector undertakings. It was suggested that for achieving the target, an additional area of about 72,000 ha would have to be brought under coffee cultivation in non-traditional areas in Andhra Pradesh, Orissa , Assam , Tripura etc.
Following these recommendations the Coffee Board, in collaboration with the National Council of Applied Economic Research, New Delhi , prepared a document entitled “The prospective plan for Coffee Development 2000 AD”. The plan envisaged the need to increase production to 2 lakh tonnes by that time to meet external and internal demand by (a) increasing productivity of small grower sectors and low yielding pockets in large grower sectors and (b) by expansion of coffee in non-traditional as well as in traditional states.
Coffee was reported to have been introduced in Cachar district of Assam during 1853. It was known to have been cultivated in parts of Mizoram and Cherapunjee area of Meghalaya in 1870. Hundred tonnes of coffee were marketed in the late 19th and early 20th century in Shillong. But after 1930, except for small kitchen garden type plantation in the tea-estates, the cultivation gradually died down. Coffee gardens were successfully established by Soil Conservation departments of Meghalaya at Umling (Ri-Bhoi District), Lumshnung (Jaintia Hills District) and Tura (West Garo Hills District) and in Assam at Haflong (N.C.Hills District) and in some pockets of Nagaland as early as 1954 on pilot cum trial basis as a measure to prevent ‘jhuming’ and consequent soil erosion. These trial plantations in this region, were laid out in different elevations from 100 meters to 1000 meters, temperature variations from 12° C in winter to 33° C in summer, soil from deep red forest to sandy clayey loam and rainfall from 1900 mm to 4000 mm with dry period between November to March.
It is worth mentioning that most of the additional coffee plantation area in non-traditional areas was estimated in the North Eastern Region. Encouraged by the success of pilot studies, Coffee Board proposed a perspective plan for North East during 1970’s in association with National Council for Agricultural and Economic Research (NCEAR) and assisted by North Eastern Council (NEC), surveyed the areas and identified 44,000 ha as potential areas for coffee cultivaton, comprising 16,000 ha in Assam, 8,000 ha in Meghalaya and 4,000 ha each in Manipur, Mizoram, Nagaland and Tripura. These 44,000 ha areas are spread over in 322 Villages in 39 Districts of this region. All the agro-climatic conditions prevailing in the North East are suitable for commercial cultivation of coffee. Only about 5,000-10,000 tonnes of coffee are produced in the North-East, largely in Mizoram and Nagaland.
Coffee is a new enterprise in these areas and therefore adequate technical support is needed to make the venture successful. To meet challenges in this regard, the Coffee Board has set up its regional office in Guwahati and many extension centres manned by trained officers in all the important coffee growing areas of the North Eastern Region. A training programme for field level workers was undertaken in Haflong, apart from the training of officers at the Central Coffee Research Institute to undertake managerial responsibilities. The Coffee Board, apart from other activities, has started Coffee Demonstration Farms in Assam , Arunachal Pradesh, Nagaland and Manipur. The North Eastern Council provides ‘balancing facilities’ such as raising of coffee and shade tree nurseries in all the states, surveys land suitable for coffee cultivation in North Eastern Region.
Coffee is a labour-intensive crop, requiring 2.5 person per hectare for its maintenance. Cultivation of coffee is all the more attractive since it is one of the horticultural crops where the produce does not perish and on-farm processing is easy. Moreover, it is a low input, high return per unit area crop, providing an economic viability to jhumias who are so far used to only subsistence level of livelihood. Cultivation of coffee in the hill areas of the region should help tribal people inhabiting the areas in getting gainful employment; to certain extent, prevent soil erosion and bring about afforestation, thus improving the ecology of the North Eastern Region and the socio-economic condition of the people.
Other Crops
Spices hold immense potential, particularly organic ginger, chilly and black pepper, both for expansion of production and marketing.
Sikkim , Nagaland and Meghalaya have the potential for undertaking cultivation, processing and marketing of cardamom, naga chillies, ginger and turmeric.
In the export of tea, the share of the North-East is lower, as South India accounts for over 50 per cent of Indian tea, though the former accounts for 55 per cent of the country's tea production. In 2006, there was a breakthrough in that over 2 million kg of tea from Assam was exported to Pakistan .
The four Agri Export Zones in the North-East, prioritised on the basis of their potential and stage of implementation, include pineapples (Tripura), ginger ( Sikkim ), orchids and cherry pepper ( Sikkim ) and fresh and processed ginger ( Assam ).
Cash crops means cash income. As a viable alternative to shifting cultivation, cash crops can help in weaning away jhumming and settling down the jhummias to a profit-yielding production in the hills where they belong. These plantations can provide various subsidiary employment opportunities. Moreover, by siphoning off workers disguisedly employed in the agricultural sector to these plantations and allied ventures, there will be gainful employment. Plantations improve ecology and prevent soil erosion as well.
Following these recommendations the Coffee Board, in collaboration with the National Council of Applied Economic Research, New Delhi , prepared a document entitled “The prospective plan for Coffee Development 2000 AD”. The plan envisaged the need to increase production to 2 lakh tonnes by that time to meet external and internal demand by (a) increasing productivity of small grower sectors and low yielding pockets in large grower sectors and (b) by expansion of coffee in non-traditional as well as in traditional states.
Coffee was reported to have been introduced in Cachar district of Assam during 1853. It was known to have been cultivated in parts of Mizoram and Cherapunjee area of Meghalaya in 1870. Hundred tonnes of coffee were marketed in the late 19th and early 20th century in Shillong. But after 1930, except for small kitchen garden type plantation in the tea-estates, the cultivation gradually died down. Coffee gardens were successfully established by Soil Conservation departments of Meghalaya at Umling (Ri-Bhoi District), Lumshnung (Jaintia Hills District) and Tura (West Garo Hills District) and in Assam at Haflong (N.C.Hills District) and in some pockets of Nagaland as early as 1954 on pilot cum trial basis as a measure to prevent ‘jhuming’ and consequent soil erosion. These trial plantations in this region, were laid out in different elevations from 100 meters to 1000 meters, temperature variations from 12° C in winter to 33° C in summer, soil from deep red forest to sandy clayey loam and rainfall from 1900 mm to 4000 mm with dry period between November to March.
It is worth mentioning that most of the additional coffee plantation area in non-traditional areas was estimated in the North Eastern Region. Encouraged by the success of pilot studies, Coffee Board proposed a perspective plan for North East during 1970’s in association with National Council for Agricultural and Economic Research (NCEAR) and assisted by North Eastern Council (NEC), surveyed the areas and identified 44,000 ha as potential areas for coffee cultivaton, comprising 16,000 ha in Assam, 8,000 ha in Meghalaya and 4,000 ha each in Manipur, Mizoram, Nagaland and Tripura. These 44,000 ha areas are spread over in 322 Villages in 39 Districts of this region. All the agro-climatic conditions prevailing in the North East are suitable for commercial cultivation of coffee. Only about 5,000-10,000 tonnes of coffee are produced in the North-East, largely in Mizoram and Nagaland.
Coffee is a new enterprise in these areas and therefore adequate technical support is needed to make the venture successful. To meet challenges in this regard, the Coffee Board has set up its regional office in Guwahati and many extension centres manned by trained officers in all the important coffee growing areas of the North Eastern Region. A training programme for field level workers was undertaken in Haflong, apart from the training of officers at the Central Coffee Research Institute to undertake managerial responsibilities. The Coffee Board, apart from other activities, has started Coffee Demonstration Farms in Assam , Arunachal Pradesh, Nagaland and Manipur. The North Eastern Council provides ‘balancing facilities’ such as raising of coffee and shade tree nurseries in all the states, surveys land suitable for coffee cultivation in North Eastern Region.
Coffee is a labour-intensive crop, requiring 2.5 person per hectare for its maintenance. Cultivation of coffee is all the more attractive since it is one of the horticultural crops where the produce does not perish and on-farm processing is easy. Moreover, it is a low input, high return per unit area crop, providing an economic viability to jhumias who are so far used to only subsistence level of livelihood. Cultivation of coffee in the hill areas of the region should help tribal people inhabiting the areas in getting gainful employment; to certain extent, prevent soil erosion and bring about afforestation, thus improving the ecology of the North Eastern Region and the socio-economic condition of the people.
Other Crops
Spices hold immense potential, particularly organic ginger, chilly and black pepper, both for expansion of production and marketing.
Sikkim , Nagaland and Meghalaya have the potential for undertaking cultivation, processing and marketing of cardamom, naga chillies, ginger and turmeric.
In the export of tea, the share of the North-East is lower, as South India accounts for over 50 per cent of Indian tea, though the former accounts for 55 per cent of the country's tea production. In 2006, there was a breakthrough in that over 2 million kg of tea from Assam was exported to Pakistan .
The four Agri Export Zones in the North-East, prioritised on the basis of their potential and stage of implementation, include pineapples (Tripura), ginger ( Sikkim ), orchids and cherry pepper ( Sikkim ) and fresh and processed ginger ( Assam ).
Cash crops means cash income. As a viable alternative to shifting cultivation, cash crops can help in weaning away jhumming and settling down the jhummias to a profit-yielding production in the hills where they belong. These plantations can provide various subsidiary employment opportunities. Moreover, by siphoning off workers disguisedly employed in the agricultural sector to these plantations and allied ventures, there will be gainful employment. Plantations improve ecology and prevent soil erosion as well.
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