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• Coffee - the lifeline for Manipuris
• Goa coffin-makers face hard times

Coffee - the lifeline for Manipuris

          Imphal: With endless variety of landscape, rich flora and fauna and hills that are marvelously green, coffee is the crop that is helping to maintain the greenery of the tropical forests of Mizoram. The forests had come under the threat of extinction due to Jhum, or shifting agriculture, the agriculture practice that was followed by the highlanders. Coffee cultivation is an alternative that gets an impetus because of the agro-climatic condition of the state- the altitude, high rain fall and fertile soil, all these make the land perfect one for growing coffee. State's soil and water conservation department assists the farmers with planting the crop..........availing high quality of seeds, maintaining a nursery and providing technical know-how. MN Omar, Director of Soil and Water Conservation, Mizoram, said: "We grow generally the best quality of coffee Arabica. That is very rarely grown. Most of the areas in India may not be suitable for this but we have got high altitude which promotes generally for growing this coffee, Arabica plantation." Omar further said: "We are opening doors within the country and as well as abroad. We have engaged some parties to tie up with foreign market also. They are doing this job its in progress. In the country we have taken a lot of sale promotion measures here for example we have a coffee-house here. We are trying to open some coffee houses in other towns of Mizoram and some liason offices set in Delhi Calcutta and Guwahati or Bangalore and other places."

          Coffee Board of India is assisting the planters by installing mini coffee roaster-cum-grinder machines for those who want to venture beyond growing the plant in their farms. The farmers are being encouraged to go beyond plantation and to look after the marketing aspect also. Because of the decreasing availability of government jobs, steps are being taken to make the farmers independent and self-reliant. A farmer said: "I am planting coffee for income generation and for having permanent garden instead of practicing shifting cultivation. The Soil and Water Conservation Department is providing assistance by constructing terraces by giving us seedling up to 2000 numbers free of cost. They also tell us how to plant these trees." If the rising popularity of Mizoram's cafe is to be taken into consideration, then its potential to be marketed as an individual brand name can be clearly recognised. Participation in international exhibitions and trade fairs and distribution of promotional literature on Indian Coffee ... the efforts are on but there is also the need to improve the productivity and over all coffee quality amongst the small sector to make the coffee a viable economic proposition for the state.
July 23, 2004

Goa coffin-makers face hard times (Go to Top)

          Goa: Coffin makers here are leading a hand-to-mouth existence with a sharp downfall in their profits. The coffin makers, many of whose families have been in the business for generations, accuse the state government's apathy and the high-handedness of the churches for their plight. A large section of the coffin-makers feel that their lot has deteriorated over the years, despite all the hardwork they put in. Many blame the churches that employ them on paltry remuneration, for their stagnation. "What can we do? We do not have money to repair our shops. Nobody understands our problems. We have no other option, that is the only reason why we are still here. They had asked us to leave but we said that we have been here for the past so many years and where can we go now?" asked Alex, a coffin-maker. Others lamented the non-availability of loans as yet another cause of their plight. "We start the day early in the morning, wait to see if anybody is dying or not. We pray that somebody dies, so that I can sell my coffins. The government is not encouraging us. We have to work on our own. We are asking for loans but the government is asking for sureties and that too from rich people who have got big bank balances. We want monetary help from the government to buy machines for cutting planks," said Rose Periera, another coffin maker. For the past four hundred years, Goa's coffin makers have been catering to a sizeable Christian community in this former Portuguese colony. But, with time the craft seems to be fading as the younger generation is not keen on pursuing this profession.
July 21, 2004