Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra has asked Union Minister Piyush Goyal with a plea to bring coffee farming under the umbrella of the Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana. In a letter to the Minister of Commerce and Industry, the Wayanad MP argued that coffee growers are currently left vulnerable to unpredictable weather patterns and need the same financial safety net afforded to other crops.
While Wayanad’s coffee is world-renowned, Priyanka pointed out that the reality for those growing it is far from easy. Cultivating on hilly terrain is naturally difficult, and she noted that the Coffee Board has reportedly already sent a proposal to the Ministry to greenlight this insurance coverage.
The letter also took aim at some of the "outdated" rules currently governing government subsidies. Farmers, for instance, can only get replantation subsidies if they uproot their old plants. Priyanka noted that many growers have moved on to more modern techniques like grafting, which don't require total uprooting. She urged the Centre to update these conditions so that farmers using modern methods aren't locked out of financial help.
Another major concern raised was the struggle of tribal coffee growers in her constituency. While there is a scheme to help them with irrigation, Priyanka argued that the current "cap" on the subsidy is so low that it’s practically impossible for these farmers to actually build the infrastructure they need. She asked for a significant increase in this limit to make the support meaningful.
Wrapping up her letter, Priyanka expressed her willingness to work with the Ministry to help Indian coffee stay competitive on the global stage. She underscored that a few changes to the existing scheme could go a long way in increasing productivity and protecting the livelihoods of thousands of farming families.
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