The Joint Director of Extension at Kalpetta is monitoring and guiding the extension activities of two Dy. Directors of Extension and eight Senior Liaison Officers and eleven Junior Liaison Officers in Kerala and Tamil Nadu States.

The Secretary, Coffee Board at H.O, is in overall supervision for implementation of Extension Plan Programmes and Extension Services.

The Planning and Co-ordination of various schemes/activities and monitoring of the same is done by the Planning & Co-ordination Cell at HO, Bangalore.

The Organization Chart (Extension Net-work) of the Extension Department is as follows

Extension Programmes:

The main extension programmes envisaged are as follows:
· Execution of various on-going extension plan schemes as per the calendar of events chalked out/envisaged.
· Constitution of Farmers Participatory Method groups and conducting Farmers-Extensionists workshops/meetings in all the potential areas.
· Conducting Contact-cum-Awareness campaigns, workshops on the management of Coffee Berry Borer & White Stem Borer, distribution of Broca traps, picking mats etc., at subsidized rates..
· Conducting Mass Contact Programmes in Karnataka, Kerala and Tamilnadu.
· Implementation of a Pilot Scheme on Eco-friendly control measures for the control/management of WSB.
· Focus on the constitution of new Self Help Groups, continuing the specified activities, assessment of performance of SHGs and conducting district level workshops/conventions.
· Raising and distribution of coffee seedlings/planting materials through mini SHGs apart from the Board's units like CCRI, CRSS and CDFs/TECs.
· Wide publicity on Price Stabilisation Fund scheme and apprising the growers of the same in various forums like in-house discussions, FPM meetings etc.,
· Conducting Regional Advisory Committee meetings in all the regions of traditional coffee growing areas.
· Surveys on crop prospects and projecting crop estimations, outbreak of pests and diseases etc.
· Collection and furnishing of monthly rainfall data during the drought period and rendering suitable advises to the planting community.
· Up keep of TECs and adoption of the Annual Action Plan to improve production/productivity of the Farms.
· Supply of seed coffee of elite plant materials to the coffee growers.

Farmers Participatory Method Programme:

With an objective of encouraging group approach among small coffee growers, the Board is establishing such groups each consisting of minimum 20 members. The said groups are scheduled to meet monthly/bimonthly basis to deliberate on the technologies suitable for implementation tuned to serve as bases to improve their technical knowledge on all the aspects of coffee cultivation and their decision making capacities for timely adoption of available technology.

These groups are addressed by the Extension Officers and Coffee Scientists on current technology progress and importance of adopting timely cultural operations aimed at over all improvement of production and productivity among small growers.

The members of each of the said groups are provided with an opportunity to enhance their knowledge of coffee cultivation by sharing their individual knowledge. Each of the group members is given an opportunity to participate by expressing his views with aid of flip charts etc.

Group Gatherings/Seminars/Contact cum assessment campaign:

Extension officers conduct farm village level group gatherings, awareness campaign and seminars on various aspects of coffee for the benefit of both large and small coffee growers periodically at different zones of coffee areas.

Mass Contact Programme:

Mass Contact programmes are generally held every year at different zones. Extension and Research Officers visit coffee holdings in the targeted villages and extend comprehensive technical know-how production/productivity improvement measures, combat pests and diseases and the quality upgradation techniques. The soil/leaf samples are also analysed to recommend the manuring and liming schedule each of the estates visited.

Self Help Groups:

Under this scheme the Board is providing one time grant limited to a maximum of Rs.2 lakhs to Self Help Groups who are able to come together and find a solution to common problems through a participatory group approach. The groups are encouraged to organize themselves as a registered association under co-operative society act and collectively invest in creating suitable infrastructure to promote productivity, quality, manage pest and diseases through community approach, adopt measures for integrated nutrition management and other measures aimed at sustainable coffee production. The financial assistance is provided on the basis of a detailed project report and there is a mechanism for periodic monitoring the status of the Self Help Groups.

Some of the activities that are encouraged through Self Help Groups are as follows:
· Raising of community nursery for production of planting material.
· Procurement and use of farm equipment / estate equipment / machinery on a community basis.
· Adoption of effective measures for control of pests and diseases.
· Promoting use of technologies for sustainable coffee production - promotion of production of specialty coffee.
· Creation of infrastructure like drying yard / store house, pulper house and accessories, water reservoirs.

Mini SHGs for raising Arabica plant material to improve Production/ Productivity:

As part of the drive to rejuvenate and revive coffee holdings which are affected by problems of low productivity due to damage caused by white stem borer, existence of old and moribund plants and low plant population per unit area, formation of Mini Self Help Groups is encouraged, to raise their own nurseries and take up vacancy/ gap filling. The idea is to improve productivity and quality in the estate of the growers by growing of region specific varieties. The Mini Self Help Group comprising around 20 growers, is eligible for free seed coffee materials and poly bags along with certain maintenance expenses during the raising of the nursery including the cost of infrastructure. The Arabica seedlings are also raised in the Boards departmental farms to supply at concessional rates. In respect of robusta coffee, clones of high yielding variety which have been raised in Boards departmental farms, are given to growers for replanting.

Training programmes under Human Resource Development:
Various training programmes are being organized for the growers, exporters/ plantation workers, supervisors and in service personnel to impart training on coffee culture and other related subjects.
Development Programmes

Support to Small Grower Sector Scheme:

Financial incentives are given for taking up the following Capital Investments in the farms of the Small Coffee Growers

Replanting
Water Augmentation
Quality Upgradation
Pollution abatement measures

Objectives :-

· To augment Arabica coffee production through new planting, replacement/renewals of old plants and replanting of robusta into Arabica in suitable locations.
· To enhance farm productivity in robusta holdings through systematic harnessing of water resources and irrigation methods.
· To establish/ set up appropriate infrastructure in the farms, to prepare washed coffees, to achieve value additions.

Subsidy component :

The subsidy is provided subject to ceiling limit prescribed for the above said activities. While the subsidy is generally linked to credit provided by financial institutions, the Board may extend subsidy also in select cases where growers are able to provide details of funds procured from other sources. A subsidy of 20% on the capital cost is provided for replantation, quality upgradation and pollution abatement measures and 25% for water augmentation.

Eligibility : -

1) Registered coffee growers having holding up to a maximum of 10 ha.
2) Individual/Joint applicants (family members/growers) are eligible to avail the benefits of the scheme provided the coffee holdings are contiguous under common management and does not exceed 10 ha.
3) Applicants shall produce revenue records as proof of area/ownership.
4) An applicant can avail subsidy benefit for one or more than one component of the scheme provided the grower gives undertaking of the sources of finance.
5) Defaulters under Board's (old) scheme of Development loans are not eligible to avail the benefits of the scheme.

A. REPLANTATION - (For conversion of old Arabica blocks with new Arabica varieties and for conversion of Robusta area/blocks in to Arabica only)

a) Applicants should submit Photographs of the area where facility of Check dam/ Storage Tank/ Bore well/ Tube well/ Open well/ is to be constructed/ installed and a sketch map showing the boundaries insitu for facilitating proper identification.
b) The Feasibility report should be obtained from the Liaison Officer, before the commencement of the construction/ installation of Check dam/Storage Tank/ Bore well/ Tube well/ Open well.

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C. QUALITY UPGRADATION:

I. Pulping Equipment Machinery / Pulper House Civil Construction.

Note:

a) Applicants should submit Photographs of the area where the Pulper house is to be constructed and a sketch map showing the boundaries insitu for facilitating proper identification.
b) The Feasibility report should be obtained from the Liaison Officer, before the commencement of the construction of pulping house.
c) Subsidy is available only for infrastructural facilities developed on the estate.

II. Drying Yard / Godown - Warehouse (AC Sheet / Tiled roof).

Note:

a) Applicants should submit Photographs of the area where facilities like godown, drying yard are to be constructed and a sketch map showing the boundaries insitu for facilitating proper identification.
b) The Feasibility report should be obtained from the Liaison Officer, before the commencement of the construction of drying yard, godown.

III. POLLUTION ABATEMENT:

A) Bioreactor effluent treatment plant

Note:

a) Applicants should submit Photographs of the area where the Bio-reactor is to be constructed and a sketch map showing the boundaries insitu for facilitating proper identification.
b) The Feasibility report should be obtained from the Liaison Officer, before the commencement of the construction of Bio-reactor.

Interest Subsidy Scheme for Large and Small Growers:

To provide financial relief to small coffee grower sector on the interest charged by the financial institutions on extending the working capital/crop hypothecation loans, Interest Subsidy Scheme has been introduced on year on year basis subject to the approval of government @5% for small growers and 3% for large growers. For further details the local Liaison Officers may be contacted.

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EXTENSION SERVICES PROVIDED BY COFFEE BOARD IN THE NON-TRADITIONAL STATES OF ANDHRA PRADESH AND ORISSA

A) Andhra Pradesh :

Coffee is cultivated in an extent of 21,404 ha and is owned by 32,665 tribal growers. The Coffee Board gave a fillip for coffee development from IX plan with the following objectives :
a) Engage the tribal growers by providing gainful employment.
b) Wean away the tribals from Podu / Shifting cultivation.
c) Preserve existing forests.
d) Provide basic amenities like housing, medical and other support to the tribals in the coffee plantations.
e) Diversify sources of income through cultivation of coffee based intercrops like pepper etc,.

The above objectives are achieved through area expansion, consolidation of existing coffee areas aimed at higher production and quality up-gradation through supply of coffee processing machinery.

The Board extended the following incentives to the tribal growers under the Special Area Programme :

Coffee is cultivated in an extent of 2209 ha in Orissa and is cultivated in the districts of Koraput, Rayagada, Kalahandi, Kandhamal, Keonjhar and Gajapati.

The same incentives as provided to the tribal growers of Andhra Pradesh under the Special Area Programme are extended to the growers of Orissa State also.