Ananthagiri Hills Coffee Plantation Heritage of Vikarabad

The Ananthagiri Hills in Vikarabad district support small-scale coffee cultivation at elevations between 700 and 850 metres — an unusual occurrence for Telangana given that coffee is typically associated with Karnataka and Kerala's Western Ghats. The coffee cultivation was likely introduced by the Nizam's administration in the 19th century to experiment with hill crop diversification. Arabica coffee plants grown on the Ananthagiri's cooler, mist-covered slopes produce a distinctive micro-lot coffee with floral and berry notes. Small tribal and settler farmer groups now cultivate coffee as a speciality crop marketed to Hyderabad's growing specialty coffee community. The Vikarabad Forest Department's eco-tourism programme promotes Ananthagiri Hills coffee as a heritage product.