Conversion of agricultural land opposed

Kodagu Mahila Coffee Jagruti Sangha has passed a resolution to urge the government not to allow the conversion of agricultural land for non-agricultural purposes.

During the 17th annual general meeting of the association, educationist Mandepanda Pushpa Kuttanna said that the coffee plantations and paddy fields should not be used for non-agricultural purposes.

There is a need to protect the fertile agricultural lands in Kodagu, she said.

Inaugurating the programme, association office-bearer Palekanda Anita Ayyanna said that the government should come to the rescue of coffee planters and check the wild elephant menace.

Some of the coffee growers have been visiting government offices, seeking subsidies for installing solar fences, she added.

Kodagu Mahila Coffee Jagruti Sangha President Pandikuttira Chitra Subbaiah said the association has been creating awareness among growers and among the general public for the past 16 years.

A lot of agricultural lands have been ruined owing to floods in Kodagu. The coffee planters can survive only if the problems in the coffee industry are solved. The industry should be revived by increasing the consumption of coffee and for this, we need to introduce Kodagu coffee to the people, she said.

Association General Secretary Appaneravanda Anita Nanda called upon women to cultivate coffee.

Quality should be the main criteria, she said and opined that Indian coffee should make it to the international market on a large scale.