Wayanad (Kerala): The rolling green hills of Kerala’s Wayanad are more than just a picturesque landscape as they are home to some of India’s most enterprising coffee farmers, local Congress MP and Congress General Secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra has acknowledged.
During a recent visit to her constituency, Priyanka Gandhi spent time walking through these plantations, listening to the stories of the men and women behind the beans that find their way into cups around the world.
What struck her most was the remarkable diversity of coffee grown here.
“It’s fascinating how many varieties of coffee are cultivated and how well the farmers are doing,” she said in a post on X, noting the skill and dedication that go into every harvest. Yet, amid the success, there are challenges that weigh heavily on these farmers,” she added, noting that she intends to raise this reality with the relevant ministries.
“What struck me most is that some of the best coffee in the world is grown in Wayanad, in fact, almost 85 per cent of the coffee grown in Kerala is grown in Wayanad. Robusta from here has got international awards, but while it is sold at high rates abroad, the rates from which it is bought off the coffee farms are much lower,” she said in her post.
For her, the visit was not just about understanding statistics or awards, it was about people.
Conversations over steaming cups of freshly brewed coffee revealed the hopes, dreams, and determination of those who nurture the beans from seed to harvest, with Priyanka Gandhi sharing a video of her interaction with coffee growers. Her mother and Congress Parliamentary Party Chairperson Sonia Gandhi was also present.
“Ideally, these farmers should be able to sell their produce at the best rates directly, and we should work towards helping them open their network out to the world,” Priyanka Gandhi noted, emphasising the need to help them open networks beyond the hills of Wayanad.
The MP has now sensed that the story of Wayanad coffee is also the story of resilience.
(IANS)
