The Girijan Co-operative Corporation (GCC) here will take up marketing of coffee grown by Girijan farmers in certain areas in the eastern ghats of the district such as Araku and Paderu to improve their lives, according to R. Kishore Babu, the Minister for Tribal Welfare.

He was speaking to reporters here on Wednesday after participating in a one-day workshop to improve the functioning of the GCC.

He said the State Government had drawn up a plan with Rs 525 crores to raise coffee plantations at Araku and Paderu to help the Girijan farmers. "The crop will be raised on 1 lakh hectares and it has been identified as a major avenue for achieving tribal welfare in recent times. The GCC will take up marketing of coffee," he said.

Kishore Babu said an action plan would be drawn up to improve the functioning of the GCC after taking the suggestions of the various stakeholders. The corporation was set up primarily to procure minor forest produce and non-timber forest produce from the agency area and to market them in other parts of the State and country, adding value. Further, the GCC should also provide essentials to tribals in remote areas at reasonable rates through its depots.

However, the brokers and money-lenders were very active in the agency area and the GCC was found wanting in certain respects, he admitted and added that the workshop was being conducted to set things right.

V. Krishna Rao, the CEO of Kovel Foundation, an NGO active in the agency area of Visakhapatnam district, gave several suggestions. He wanted thorough mapping of the resources in the agency area and further suggested that the GCC take up procurement of agricultural and horticultural produce as well from the Girijans, as the livelihood patterns had undergone a change.

He said the GCC had identified 25 types of produce but it was not buying them all and there was no mechanism for procuring, for instance, medicinal plants. There was also a need for taking steps for resource regeneration and protecting the bio-diversity of the area. Commercial exploitation alone should not be the criterion, he added.

He suggested taking up of skill development programmes for tribal youth as well.

sarma.rs@thehindu.co.in

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