By Aruna
Copyright deccanchronicle
Visakhapatnam: Chief Minister Chandrababu has congratulated the Girijana Cooperative Corporation (GCC) for winning the Business Line Changemaker Award in the Financial Transformation category for Araku Coffee.He praised tribal welfare minister Gummidi Sandhyarani and GCC managing director Kalpana Kumari for their leadership in achieving this national recognition.On Friday, minister Sandhyarani and MD Kalpana Kumari met the CM at the secretariat to present before him the award and certificate of appreciation.Acknowledging this achievement, Naidu noted that Araku Coffee has gained international acclaim after receiving its Geographical Indication (GI) tag. The coffee’s organic cultivation in tribal areas, combined with its unique taste, purity and aroma, has helped establish Araku as a globally respected brand, he noted.Naidu highlighted the transformative impact of coffee cultivation on the tribal communities of Araku, saying it has significantly improved livelihoods and empowered local farmers.Sandhyarani informed the CM about the recent MoU signed between GCC and Tata Consumer Products Ltd, which would facilitate India’s first production of organic soluble coffee.She said a bean-to-cup value chain would be developed through a state-of-the-art integrated coffee processing unit in Makavarapalem village, near Narsipatnam. This initiative, she noted, would enhance market access and create new opportunities for Araku Coffee, reinforcing its role as a changemaker in sustainable agriculture and tribal entrepreneurship.
