Andhra Pradesh’s Girijan Cooperative Corporation Ltd (GCC) has achieved a significant milestone by securing organic certification for Araku Coffee, a move that has opened doors to European markets and attracted major domestic buyers, including Tata Consumer Products. This certification marks a new chapter for the coffee grown by tribal farmers in the Paderu Agency area, ensuring fair pricing and sustainable agricultural practices.
GCC Vice Chairman and Managing Director, Kalpana Kumari, highlighted the overwhelming response to the initiative, with confirmed orders from buyers in Germany and Italy, as well as a partnership with Tata Consumer Products for marketing and sales. Encouraged by this success, GCC now plans to extend its organic certification efforts to include pepper, with the first supply consignment to Tata scheduled for April.
The organic certification process, which began in 2019, has involved 2,600 tribal farmers across 2,275 hectares in Chintapalli and GK Veedhi mandals. Given the stringent requirements, the certification process takes three years to complete, with periodic inspections and audits conducted by an Agricultural and Processed Food Products Export Development Authority (APEDA) approved body.
To support the farmers and recognize their efforts, GCC has introduced a premium procurement price for organic coffee. The Arabica Parchment variety is now being procured at ₹450 per kg, compared to ₹400 for the regular variety, while Arabica Cherry is fetching ₹330 per kg, up from ₹250 for the non-organic counterpart.
This initiative not only boosts awareness of organic farming among tribal communities but also incentivizes more farmers to adopt sustainable practices. In collaboration with Tata Consumer Products, GCC is working to establish a stable market for Araku Coffee, ensuring better income opportunities for growers while positioning Andhra Pradesh as a key player in the organic produce sector.
Established in 1956 under the Cooperative Societies Act, GCC continues to play a crucial role in empowering tribal communities, with over 20,000 tribal families benefiting from its market intervention programs. The organic certification of Araku Coffee represents a major step forward in sustainable agriculture and global market expansion.