Five varieties of Indian coffee get GI certification

Five varieties of Indian coffee have been awarded Geographical Indication (GI), a move that will enhance their visibility globally and allow growers to get the right value.

While Coorg Arabica coffee is grown specifically in Kodagu district of Karnataka, Wayanaad Robusta coffee is from Wayanad district in east Kerala, Chikmagalur Arabica coffee from Chikmagalur district in Deccan plateau of Karnataka, Araku Valley Arabica coffee from hilly tracks of Visakhapatnam district in Andhra Pradesh and Odisha region, and Bababudangiris Arabica coffee from central portion of Chikmagalur district.

The Monsooned Malabar Robusta Coffee, a unique specialty coffee from India, was given GI certification earlier, according to an official statement issued on Friday by the Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade.

India is the only country where the entire coffee cultivation is grown under shade, hand picked and sun dried. It is cultivated across 4.54 lakh hectares by 3.66 lakh farmers.

In another development, the Ministry of Commerce and Industry on Thursday launched a blockchain-based online marketplace for coffee. The initiative will help integrate farmers with markets in a transparent manner, and lead to realisation of fair prices for coffee producers.

The Coffee Board of India will collaborate with Bengaluru-based digital commodity management platform Eka Software Solutions (Eka Plus) for development of blockchain-based marketplace application.