Replantation scheme likely for corporates, cooperatives

BANGALORE: Government is in an advanced stage of considering a proposal to increase the cost of replanting in coffee estates and subsidy limits and also open up the scheme to cooperatives and corporates, a top official of the Coffee Board said today.

"Government is considering a proposal sent by the Coffee Board fixing new cost and increasing the levels of assistance along with making cooperatives and corporates eligible under the scheme for improving the replantation scheme", Coffee Board Secretary M Chandrashekar said.

One of the major proposals of the 12th five year plan (2012-2017) is enhancement of unit cost and scale of subsidy for replanting and to cover all category of holdings including cooperatives and corporates, he added at the UPASI-KPA (United Planters Association of Southern India-Karnataka Planters' Association) coffee conference here.

This proposal is a major demand of the coffee industry. KPA Chairman Marvin Rodrigues said yesterday: "Replanting is the important investment for growers which forms the basis for improving the production and productivity of the estates as it ensures in replacing aged and low-yielding coffee plants".

Karnataka accounts for some 70 per cent of the country's coffee production.

Chandrashekar said the government was also considering a proposal to form a separate scheme for transfer of technology and capacity building to strengthen the transfer of R&D findings to the field.