This special edition of lndian Coffee is being issued to commemorate fifty years of extension services rendered by the Coffee Board to the Shevaroys - region. We have here a collection of several articles describing the history and development of the Shevaroys one of the most beautiful and promising coffee producing zones in the country.

A sense of history engulfs us when we read about the illustrious pioneers who braved the odds when they opened up the hills and planted it to coffee. The chapter on The Shevaroy Hills in the district gazetteer of 1921 speaks of not just the plantations and their owners but documents even details of the picturesque bungalows, the important landmarks such as the railway stations, religions and the social institutions around which life revolved in those early days of coffee development. From 1921 to 2004 is a long haul. Today, the coffee produced in the Shevaroys zone (4300 tons approximately) accounts for a small proportion of the total coffee produced in the country; - but it has distinctive characteristics in the cup that has qualified it for being branded as a unique region. The present generation of coffee growers have also organized themselves into a very productive force-and actively cooperate with the Board's representatives to address and resolve the myriad problems affecting coffee cultivation.

Just as the last fifty years saw significant milestones in terms of development of the region, we need to look ahead at the next fifty years, - identify the challenges and appraise our ability to grapple with the same. I hope the Extension and the Research departments of the Coffee Board and the enterprising community of coffee growers at Yercaud continue to strengthen their relationship through productive and creative interactions and come up with a sustainable strategy for the future development of the Shevaroys that will ensure its pre-eminence as a coffee.