Visakhapatnam Steel Araku Coffee Tribal Eastern Ghats

Visakhapatnam (Vizag) district contains both the Visakhapatnam Steel Plant (Rashtriya Ispat Nigam Limited, 1992) — the only coastal integrated steel plant in India, built after a prolonged agitation (the Vishalandhra movement demanded a steel plant for 20 years) — and the Araku Valley, a high-altitude tribal coffee growing area in the Eastern Ghats at 900-1100 metres where Kondh and Bagata tribal farmers grow Araku Arabica coffee under forest shade trees without chemical inputs. Araku coffee has become India's most celebrated tribal organic coffee, winning international awards and sold at Rs 2,000+ per kg premium in European specialty coffee markets, with the Girijan Cooperative Corporation and ANAGHA (tribal cooperative) managing the tribal coffee value chain. The Borra Caves limestone caves and the Araku Valley eco-tourism circuit make the district's Eastern Ghats tribal area a major scenic tourism destination.