Development Support for Coffee in Traditional Areas: Replantation

DETAILS The scheme "Development Support for Coffee in Traditional Areas: Replantation" is a Sub-Component of the Scheme "Integrated Coffee Development Project During the Medium Term Framework (MTF) Period: Development Support to Stakeholders" by the Coffee Board, Department of Commerce, Ministry of Commerce and Industry. The objective of this scheme is to improve the production and productivity of coffee plantations by encouraging replantation of old/senile and unproductive plantations with high-yielding, disease-tolerant coffee varieties. BENEFITS Unit Cost for Arabica: ₹ 2,75,000/- per ha Unit Cost for Robusta: ₹ 2,00,000/- per ha. Scale of Subsidy: 40% of the unit cost  Coffee growers belonging to the SC/ST community with a coffee holding size of up to 4.00 Ha are eligible for additional support of 10% of the unit cost.  Release of Subsidy Instalments In the case of Clean Replanting: 1st Instalment: 70% of the Applicable Unit Cost. 2nd Instalment: 30% of the Applicable Unit Cost. In the case of Replantation by Interlining Method: 1st Instalment: 30% of the Applicable Unit Cost. 2nd Instalment: 70% of the Applicable Unit Cost. ELIGIBILITY Only Small growers with coffee holding sizes of up to 10 Ha. are eligible. Applicable for replantation of existing old/senile and low-productive Arabica and Robusta coffee plantations; aged 25 years in the case of Arabica, 40 years in the case of Robusta and 15 years in the case of Arabica dwarfs by adopting either clean replanting or interlining in the existing blocks. In the case of inter-planting of Arabica in Robusta adopting clean replanting, the subsidy will be given only to Robusta which is the main crop. When interlined in the old blocks, the old/unproductive plants should preferably be removed after one harvest and under no circumstances beyond two harvests i.e., for instance, if interlining is done in August-September 2017, the old plants should preferably be uprooted after harvesting the standing crop by December 2017 to March 2018 or after harvesting the second crop by December 2018 to March 2019. This would ensure that the newly interlined plants would not suffer too much root competition and receive adequate sunlight for vigorous growth. In Arabica zones with an elevation of 1000 metres above MSL, the old Arabica coffee blocks should be replanted with disease-tolerant, high-yielding Arabica varieties only. In other areas, with an elevation of less than 1000 meters above MSL, which is suitable for both Arabica and Robusta cultivation, the existing Arabica blocks replanted with Robusta material are eligible. In states like Tamil Nadu, if coffee is grown along with intercrops like pepper, orange, banana etc., and the land documents indicate the extent of each crop separately, in such a situation, the subsidy will be based on the actual extent of the area replanted with coffee or based on the maximum extent of land mentioned in the land documents, including other intercrops, whichever is less. As far as possible, the growers should adopt appropriate planting designs that are suitable for the mechanization of farm operations. In the case of estates that adopt such a modified planting design amenable to mechanization, the subsidy will be considered for the entire area of replanting and not based on the plant population. Exclusions A grower who has availed subsidy under one activity/component is not eligible to avail subsidy for the same activity/component during the MTF period until new beneficiaries are covered. Arabica replaced with Robusta material at a higher elevation of more than 1000 metres is not eligible for support.