The Bengal government has decided to start a focused initiative to promote Kalimpong coffee as a distinctive brand following a promising start in recent years.
The state horticulture and fruit processing department, in collaboration with the Kalimpong district administration and the Gorkhaland Territorial Administration (GTA), is working on a five-year roadmap to ensure sustainable coffee production and branding in the hill district.
Kalimpong district magistrate Balasubramanian T. said the idea took shape during the Kalimpong Orange Festival held last winter.
“The secretary of the horticulture department directed us to take steps for the systematic and scientific promotion of coffee cultivation to build a recognised brand, that of Kalimpong Coffee,” the official said.
A high-level meeting was recently held at the Kalimpong circuit house involving GTA representatives, block officials, panchayat members and cultivators to chalk out the plan.
Multiple sub-committees have been formed to oversee key aspects including production, marketing and branding.
According to district administration sources, the roadmap includes goals such as increased production, GI tagging, sustainable cultivation practices, streamlined marketing, intercropping models, and the formation of farmers interest groups (FIGs).
“At least 200 farmers from the four blocks of Kalimpong-I, Kalimpong-II, Gorubathan and Pedong will be part of the initiative, with each FIG managing anywhere between five and 10 acres of plantation,” a source said.
The plan includes formation of 10 FIGs per block, training in coffee cultivation and setting up community nurseries.
“As part of the scaling phase we plan to expand plantation, harvest inter-crops, plan exposure visits and market linkage support,” said the source.
Plans have also been put in place for establishment of micro-processing units, certification processes, collective marketing and participation in exhibitions, fairs, and tourism collaborations.
Coffee cultivation in Kalimpong was introduced by private planters about a decade back. The directorate of cinchona and other medicinal plants also initiated the process around seven years ago.
In 2018, around 1,100 farmers planted saplings across 345 acres. By 2022, the region harvested 22 quintals of coffee cherries and introduced them to the market under the Kalimpong Coffee label.
Currently, around 1,250 farmers are engaged in coffee farming in the Darjeeling hills, with Kalimpong accounting for nearly three-fourths. The annual coffee production in the hills has grown to about 70 quintals, drawing buyers from Sikkim and Calcutta, among others.