New Delhi, March 24
Araku Coffee, the world's first terroir-mapped coffee was launched in the canteens of both houses of the Parliament on Monday afternoon.
The coffee was launched in the Lok Sabha and the Rajya Sabha in the presence of Union Minister Ram Mohan Naidu, Kiren Rijiju, Piyush Goyal and TDP MPs.
After the launch of the coffee, Union Minister Piyush Goyal said, "It is a matter of pride for me that the government of Andhra Pradesh has taken up the Araku Valley coffee, a GI product, as an important product for every Indian to taste."
"With the collective efforts of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Andhra Pradesh CM Chandrababu Naidu, this double-engine government will take Araku to new heights; we will make it a premium product," he added.
Union Minister Ram Mohan Naidu Kinjarapu also spoke about the coffee and said, "We are inaugurating the Araku Valley coffee which is a very prestigious coffee from the hills of Araku in Andhra Pradesh. For years, the tribal farmers from Andhra, especially Araku, have been growing this distinctive coffee. Now, it is a world-renowned product."
We have its counters in Paris and many other countries. People like the special taste of Araku coffee. PM Modi also promoted this coffee in 'Man Ki Baat'. He talked about the taste and the way it is grown organically. Almost 1.5 lakh farmers are involved in the production," he said.
Adding further, he said, "We wanted to promote the product more. AP CM Chandrababu Naidu meets all the cabinet ministers whenever he comes to Delhi and gives Araku coffee as a promotion. I would like to thank our Speaker for giving special permission to have these stalls in Rajaba and Lok Sabha canteens. We wanted all the MPs to taste it."
In his 111th episode of the 'Mann Ki Baat' programme, Prime Minister Narendra Modi lauded the global presence of local Indian products and mentioned Araku coffee produced in Andhra Pradesh.
"There are so many products from India that are in great demand across the world and when we see a local product from India going global, it is natural to feel proud. One such product is Araku coffee. Araku coffee is grown in large quantities in Alluri Sita Rama Raju district of Andhra Pradesh. It is known for its rich flavour and aroma," Prime Minister Narendra Modi said while addressing the 111th episode of Mann Ki Baat.
Highlighting the socio-economic impact of Araku coffee, he noted, "About 1.5 lakh tribal families are associated with the cultivation of Araku coffee. Girijan cooperative has played a very important role in taking Araku coffee to new heights. It brought together the farmer brothers and sisters here and encouraged them to cultivate Araku coffee. This has also increased the income of these farmers a lot."
"Araku Coffee has received many global awards. Coffee was also popular at the G-20 summit held in Delhi," PM Modi remarked.
- ANI