Kalpetta: P C Vijayan, 62, a coffee farmer from the indigenous Kurichiya tribe of Wayanad had a long flight from Copenhagen. He is not complaining though.
As part of a state delegation, Vijayan represented the tribal coffee farmers in the recently concluded 'World Of Coffee' summit held in Copenhagen, Denmark. Clad in traditional Kerala mundu, he served the Wayanad Coffee to coffee lovers from all over the world.
Vijayan was picked up from a panel by the experts of the Coffee Board of India. Since then, he had many sleepless nights as Vijayan had to arrange everything starting with his passport. P C Vijayan said that he is feeling proud as he was able to represent Wayanad in the global coffee conclave.
'' I own only 1.5 acres of coffee garden, I was very much excited to visit a foreign country, that too as a representative of Wayanad coffee,'' said Vijayan. '' Though the state ensured my cost of travel, I had to make a lot of arrangements on my own for the trip,'' Vijayan said, adding that as he was with the team, there were no other personal risks.
Vijayan said that the brand ‘Wayanad Coffee’ was introduced to thousands of visitors from countless countries across the globe. The event featured stalls of coffee brands from various countries, an exhibition and a Business to Business Meet. '' At the machinery expo we were introduced to many modern instruments developed and tested in the coffee processing industry,'' he added.
A delegation of farmers, entrepreneurs and organizations from the district participated in the "World of Coffee" expo.
The ‘Climate Smart Coffee Project’ led by G Balagopal headed the Kerala delegation which included farmers' representatives PC Vijayan and Sushena Devi, Wayanad Coffee Growers Association president Anoop Palakkunnu, secretary Madhu Boppayya, Jeeva Anandan, Director, Kerala Coffee Limited, a state government initiative and United Plantation Association of South India (UPASI) former president Dharmaraj Narendranath.
Jeeva Anandan said that the efforts of the state government to boost Wayanad Coffee have been paid for. More than a hundred global players who tasted the coffee at the global summit evinced interest, sharing contact details. '' This year we had ensured our slot in the name of ‘Wayanad Coffee’ alone and had given the entire focus on the tagline Wayanad Coffee,'' he added.
The coffee seeds for the cupping were selected from a group of farmers with the help of renowned coffee tasters.