Adding Flavour to Tribal Lives: Primary Processing of Spices and Coffee in the Eastern Ghats

Krishi Vigyan Kendra (KVK), Namakkal is being implemented Paramparaghat Krishi Vikas Yojana (PKVY) and ICAR –Tribal Sub Plan Schemes at Elangiyampatti and Ariyur Nadu villages of Kollihills, Namakkal District, Tamil Nadu since 2019 to promote organic farming activities in an area of 20 ha as well as utilization of machinery for primary processing of Spices and Plantation crops for getting good quality produce with assured net returns. These tribal villages are richly bestowed with Black pepper, Cardamom, Coffee and Hill banana more than 500 acres under cultivation. Usually the tribes follow the traditional method for threshing, pulping and cleaning of spices and plantation crops. So that the tribes got minimum returns due to poor quality produce. To address this issues KVK provided primary processing machinery to tribal farmer groups enabling timely processing, improved quality produce and increased net income. This intervention has significantly benefitted nearly 524 tribal farmers in and around Elangiyampatti. In the year 2021-22 alone, 42.5 tonnes of black pepper, 55.2 tonnes of coffee and 2.01 tonnes of Cardamom were processed by the tribes from Elangiyampatti with the help of primary processing machines viz., Pepper threshing machine, Pepper dust extractor, Pepper grader, Cardamom dryer and Coffee pulping machine supplied under ICAR- Tribal Sub plan Scheme and also got an additional income of Rs.82500/ household /year. This intervention not only improve the quality of the produce obtained from Elangiyampatti and Ariyur Nadu villages of Kollihills but also the tribes from other villages of Kollihills processed their produce in time and fetched good returns. Since Kollihills Pepper contains high Piperine content due to varietal nature as well as soil and climatic conditions prevails in this region and it is very familiar in this zone and also fetches a good market price. Hence establishment of essential primary processing machinery units at Panchayat level may facilitates easy and timely processing of Black pepper, Coffee and Cardamom thus in turn makes to help the tribes to improve their livelihood.