Development Support for Coffee in Traditional Areas: Eco-certification of Coffee

The scheme "Development Support for Coffee in Traditional Areas: Eco-certification of Coffee" is a Sub-Component of the Scheme "Integrated Coffee Development Project During the Medium Term Framework (MTF) Period: Development Support to Stakeholders" by the Coffee Board, Department of Commerce, Ministry of Commerce and Industry. The objective of this scheme is to encourage coffee growers to access high-value specialty markets through production of eco-certified coffees so as to realize higher returns by adhering to a set of standards which help in communication of quality, traceability, social, environmental and financial conditions surrounding the production of coffee.

Extent of Support/ Subsidy

Certification Support: 50% of the certification cost, subject to a maximum of ₹50,000 (Rupees 50,000) per individual grower/grower groups. In the case of Organic certification, spread over a period of 3 years or the conversion period, whichever is less; in the case of other certificates, one year, during the Mission for Integrated Development of Horticulture (MIDH) period.
Additional Support for SC/ST Community: Individual coffee growers belonging to the Scheduled Caste/Scheduled Tribe (SC/ST) community with a coffee holding size of up to 4.00 hectares are eligible for an additional 10% of the certification cost, subject to a maximum of ₹55,000 (Rupees 55,000) per grower during the MIDH period.

1. Individual Growers: Individual growers owning up to 10 hectares of coffee holding and groups of small growers (SHGs, collectives) who obtain certification of their plantations for various sustainability and quality standards are eligible.1. Subsidy Limit: A grower who has availed subsidy under one activity/component is not eligible to avail subsidy for the same activity/component during the Mission for Integrated Development of Horticulture (MIDH) period unless new beneficiaries are covered.1. Certification Support: Support is available for certification of estates as per Organic, Fair Trade, Rainforest Alliance, UTZ Certified, Bird Friendly/Shade Grown coffee standards, or any other certification programs equivalent to the above programs.1. Organic Certification: Those claiming support for organic certification should have been certified as per the National Programme for Organic Production (NPOP) standards, even if they are certified as per various international standards like EU Regulation, NOP (National Organic Program of USA), JAS (Japanese Agriculture Standards), etc.1. Certification Agencies: The certificate should be obtained only from the Certification Agencies accredited by the respective Certification Programs.1. Non-Traditional Areas: Non-tribal coffee growers in Non-Traditional Areas with coffee holding sizes of up to 10 hectares are also eligible.

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Procedure for Claiming Subsidy

Step 1: Application Submission: After obtaining certification from an accredited certification body/agency, the grower/grower groups must submit their application along with a copy of the certificate and other relevant documents to the concerned jurisdictional Coffee Board office during the same financial year as the completion of the activity, as far as possible.
Step 2: Document Scrutiny: The concerned office will scrutinize the documents and conduct field inspections to verify books and records.
Step 3: Forwarding the Claim: The Joint Liaison Officer (JLO) / State Liaison Officer (SLO) shall forward the claim along with the Physical Verification Report and other relevant records to the concerned Deputy Director (Extn).
Step 4: Subsidy Release: The Deputy Director (Extn.), after scrutinizing the claim and records and confirming the admissibility of the claim in all respects, will release the subsidy amount to the beneficiary's bank account through National Electronic Funds Transfer (NEFT).
NOTE: This incentive provides backend support only to those who obtain certification for their estates.