From erstwhile naxal bastion to coffee zone: Chhattisgarh govt plans Abujhmad to brew new future

Raipur, Jul 7 (PTI) Abujhmad, the erstwhile forested den of Maoists in Narayanpur district of Chhattisgarh, may soon have a new identity with the state government planning to introduce coffee cultivation in parts of the isolated region. The move is aimed at achieving the twin objectives of improving rural incomes and promoting environmentally sustainable agriculture, officials said on Tuesday. Additionally, the possibility of tea cultivation in suitable pockets of Abujhmad will also be explored. As part of Chief Minister Vishnu Deo Sai-led government's efforts to expand livelihood opportunities in remote tribal areas, the Narayanpur district administration has initiated preparations to introduce coffee cultivation in selected forest villages of the region, said district collector Namrata Jain. Jain, accompanied by experts from the Coffee Board of India, recently inspected Kutul, Kachchapal, Kodliyar, Irakbhatti and Toke villages in Abujhmad to assess their suitability for coffee cultivation. The expert team carried out field-level observations of the region's climate, annual rainfall, temperature, soil characteristics and elevation, Jain said. The Coffee Board concluded that Abujhmad possesses favourable natural conditions for developing a coffee-based agroforestry model. The Board will continue to provide technical guidance on site selection, nursery development, plantation management, capacity building and other technical aspects as the project moves forward in phases, the collector said. Initial work will focus on identifying suitable land and establishing nurseries before plantations are taken up, she added. The administration believes the project can create a new source of employment and income for local communities. Commercial production is expected to begin after about four years, after which coffee can provide recurring income over many years, according to the collector. Besides cultivation, the initiative is expected to generate opportunities in nursery development, plantation management, maintenance, harvesting and other allied activities, with local Self-Help Groups and rural communities playing a central role, Jain said. To build local technical capacity, district agriculture officials will undergo specialised training at the Coffee Board's regional centre in Koraput in neighbouring Odisha, where they will learn scientific practices in plantation management, nursery development and crop management before the project is rolled out. Meanwhile, during discussions with the expert team, the possibility of tea cultivation in suitable pockets of Abujhmad also emerged. Officials have been directed to prepare a phased action plan to explore this potential in the future, she added. For decades, Abujhmad, known for its dense forests, geographical isolation and deeply entrenched Naxalite network, has remained one of India's least accessible forest regions. Abujhmad lies in the Bastar region, one of India's richest forest landscapes and home to diverse tribal communities. Its extensive forest cover, varied topography and favourable agro-climatic conditions have long attracted scientific interest, officials said. A technical bulletin titled "Coffee in Chhattisgarh", published by the College of Horticulture and Research Station, Jagdalpur, under Indira Gandhi Krishi Vishwavidyalaya (IGKV), identifies Bastar, comprising seven districts including Narayanpur, as a promising region for organic coffee cultivation, they said. Currently, coffee cultivation is underway in the Darbha development block of Bastar district. Coffee cultivation in Bastar district began in 2016-17 under a joint initiative of the research station and the district administration on 20 acres at Darbha using a multi-cropping model, Bhagwat Kumar, Scientist at the College of Horticulture and Research Station, Jagdalpur (Bastar district), told PTI. Under the model, coffee is cultivated alongside fruit and forest species such as mango, jackfruit, tamarind, mahua and silver oak, he said. Encouraged by the results, coffee cultivation has since been expanded to around 270 acres on the land of Forest Rights Act beneficiaries in villages including Urukpal, Mundagarh and Dilmili, he said. The Darbha coffee estate currently produces about 55-60 quintals of cherry coffee every season. The produce is processed and marketed by the Chandni Self-Help Group under the Bastar Coffee brand through outlets at Chitrakote and Bastar Cafe in Jagdalpur, Kumar said. Coffee production from the Bastar region is expected to reach nearly one tonne annually over the next few years, he added. "If implemented successfully, the Abujhmad project could create a sustainable livelihood model combining scientific planning, community participation and environmental conservation, opening new economic opportunities for tribal communities while preserving the region's unique forest ecosystem," he said. PTI TKP NSK