A community-led coffee nursery in Ranitota village of Lamtaput Aspirational Block in Odisha’s Koraput district is creating new livelihood opportunities for tribal women by combining coffee cultivation with entrepreneurship and nursery management.
Supported under the Centre’s Aspirational Blocks Programme, the initiative is helping women associated with Self-Help Groups develop skills in coffee seedling production while creating an additional source of income within the local economy.
Women trained in coffee nursery management
The Ranitota nursery has emerged as a community-based enterprise where local women are involved in producing coffee seedlings and managing nursery operations.
The initiative has received technical support from the Coffee Board of India, while financial assistance has been provided through the Coffee Development Trust. The support has enabled participating women to learn about nursery establishment, seedling production and coffee cultivation practices.
The seedlings produced at the nursery are being used as part of Odisha’s broader Coffee Plantation for Sustainable Livelihoods (CPSL) initiative.
Rs 150 crore allocated for coffee plantation
The development comes as Odisha expands its efforts to promote coffee cultivation in tribal-dominated regions. The state has allocated Rs 150 crore for its coffee plantation programme, with the objective of expanding cultivation and creating more sustainable livelihood opportunities.
Coffee cultivation is increasingly being promoted as an alternative source of income for communities that have traditionally depended on seasonal employment and, in some cases, migration for work.
By developing nurseries locally, the initiative also creates opportunities at the initial stage of the coffee production chain, allowing community members to participate in seedling production rather than depending entirely on external suppliers.
In Ranitota village of Lamtaput Aspirational Block, Koraput, a community-led coffee nursery is helping create opportunities for women-led entrepreneurship and sustainable livelihoods.
With technical guidance from the Coffee Board and support from the Coffee Development Trust,… pic.twitter.com/WADYVHP0ZH
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Focus on better returns for tribal growers
Alongside expanding cultivation, efforts are also being made to improve the returns received by tribal coffee growers.
The Tribal Development Co-operative Corporation of Odisha Ltd. (TDCCOL) has taken up direct procurement, processing and marketing of coffee under the Koraput Coffee brand.
According to the information provided, procurement prices received by tribal growers have increased from around Rs 60 per kg to Rs 105 per kg.
The direct procurement and marketing model is aimed at strengthening the link between growers and the market while improving the value captured by farmers from their produce.
Koraput coffee reaches wider markets
Koraput has emerged as an important coffee-growing region in Odisha, with Arabica coffee cultivated under shade-based farming systems.
Among the products marketed under the Koraput Coffee brand is the 100 per cent shade-grown Arabica ‘Tiger Blend’. The product has helped bring greater attention to coffee produced by growers in the region.
Koraput coffee has also received international exposure, including representation at the BRICS Summit, highlighting the potential for tribal-produced agricultural products to reach larger domestic and international markets.
Community enterprise creates local livelihood opportunities
The Ranitota nursery illustrates how community participation, institutional support and agricultural development can work together to create livelihood opportunities in rural and tribal areas.
For participating women, the coffee nursery provides an opportunity to acquire skills and participate directly in an agricultural enterprise. For the wider region, the expansion of coffee cultivation could strengthen the local production ecosystem, from nurseries and plantations to processing, branding and marketing.
The initiative is part of broader efforts to promote coffee as a sustainable livelihood option in Koraput while creating greater economic opportunities for tribal communities.
