Coffee Development Programme in North Eastern Region: Quality Upgradation / Certification: Drying Yards

What is the Coffee Development Programme drying yards support?

The Coffee Development Programme in the North Eastern Region, Quality Upgradation / Certification: Drying Yards; is a support component of the Coffee Board of India, a statutory body under the Department of Commerce, Ministry of Commerce and Industry. It is part of the Integrated Coffee Development Project aimed at expanding and improving coffee cultivation in the North Eastern states.

According to the Coffee Board, the drying yards component offers a 75% capital subsidy to help tribal coffee growers build cement drying yards on their holdings. A proper drying yard lets growers dry their coffee cherries and parchment evenly and cleanly, which raises the quality and market price of the crop and reduces spoilage compared with drying on bare ground.

The unit cost and subsidy depend on the size of the holding:

• Up to 2 hectares, unit cost Rs 15,000, subsidy about Rs 11,250.
• 2 hectares and above — unit cost Rs 45,000, subsidy about Rs 33,750.

The grower meets the remaining 25% of the cost. The subsidy is a one-time capital support tied to actually constructing the yard, not a cash grant.

Who is eligible for the drying yards subsidy?

You can apply if:

• You are a coffee grower in the North Eastern Region, typically a tribal grower, with a coffee holding.
• You have land records for the holding, certified by the local authority.
• You have not already availed the same drying yard benefit in the earlier plan period.
• You are able to construct the drying yard to the prescribed specification and submit a completion report.

You cannot apply if:

• Your holding is outside the North Eastern Region; growers in traditional areas such as Karnataka, Kerala and Tamil Nadu are served by other components of the Coffee Board's schemes.
• You have already received this specific subsidy for the same holding.
• You cannot provide certified land records or a valid bank account for the transfer.

This is a grower-level support scheme, so an individual coffee cultivator can apply on their own behalf. It is not open to traders or processors who do not cultivate coffee.

What documents are required?

How to apply for the drying yards subsidy

The scheme is administered offline through the Coffee Board's extension network. To apply:

1. Contact your local Coffee Board extension office in the North Eastern Region and obtain the prescribed application form.
2. Fill the form and attach your land records, photo identity and bank details, and submit it in duplicate to the extension office.
3. The Extension Officer scrutinises the documents and carries out a field inspection of your holding.
4. After verification the application is forwarded to the Joint Director (Extension) for sanction.
5. Construct the cement drying yard to the prescribed specification and submit a work completion report.
6. On verification of the completed work, the subsidy is released by electronic fund transfer (EFT) to your bank account.

Because the subsidy is paid after construction against a completion report, keep proof of your spending and follow the specification the extension office provides.

How much benefit does the scheme provide?

The subsidy is 75% of the unit cost of the drying yard. For a holding up to 2 hectares the unit cost is Rs 15,000, giving a subsidy of about Rs 11,250; for a holding of 2 hectares and above the unit cost is Rs 45,000, giving a subsidy of about Rs 33,750. The grower funds the remaining 25%. The benefit is one-time and specific to building the drying yard.

Help and where to apply

• Coffee Board head office: 080-22266991, Bengaluru
• Official website: coffeeboard.gov.in
• Apply through: your nearest Coffee Board extension office in the North Eastern Region

Exact unit costs, specifications and the current plan-period rules can change, so confirm the latest figures with your extension office before you begin construction. This drying yards support is one of several quality-upgradation components, pulpers and eco/organic certification support are covered under related sub-schemes of the same North Eastern programme.

How to check your application status

There is no online tracking portal for this drying yards component, so status checks happen through the Coffee Board's extension network rather than a website login.

1. Note your reference details. Keep the date you submitted the application, the name of the extension office you submitted it to and, if issued, an acknowledgement or receipt number for the duplicate copy you filed.
2. Follow up with the local extension office first. Since the Extension Officer who received your form is also the one who schedules the field inspection, a visit or phone call there is the fastest way to learn whether your holding has been inspected and whether the file has moved to the Joint Director (Extension) for sanction.
3. Check with the Joint Director (Extension) office if the extension office confirms your case has already been forwarded. This office holds sanction records for applications from across the region and can confirm whether your application is approved, pending further documents, or awaiting field verification.
4. Call the Coffee Board head office helpline (080-22266991, Bengaluru) if you cannot reach the local office or need to escalate a delay. Have your holding location, application date and the extension office name ready when you call.
5. After sanction, track construction and payment separately. Because the subsidy is released only after you submit a work completion report and it is verified, the practical status check at this stage is confirming with the extension office that your completion report has been received and inspected, since that inspection is what triggers the electronic fund transfer.

Since this is a paper-based, office-led process, applicants should keep their own written record (or a photo of the stamped duplicate application) as proof of submission, since there is no automated acknowledgement email or SMS to fall back on.

Common reasons for rejection

• Holding is outside the North Eastern Region. This component is restricted to coffee growers in the North Eastern states; an application from a holding in a traditional coffee area such as Karnataka, Kerala or Tamil Nadu is rejected outright because those growers are covered under a different Coffee Board programme. Fix: confirm your holding falls within the North Eastern Region programme before applying, and if it does not, ask the extension office which scheme actually applies to you.
• Land records do not match the applicant or are uncertified. If the land record submitted is not certified by the local authority, or the holding named in the record does not clearly belong to the applicant, the Extension Officer cannot verify ownership during the field inspection and the case stalls or is returned. Fix: get the land record certified by the appropriate local revenue or village authority before submission, and make sure the name on it matches your application and identity proof exactly.
• The same benefit was already claimed for the holding. The scheme is a one-time capital subsidy per holding for this plan period; an application for a holding that already received drying yard support earlier is rejected as a duplicate claim. Fix: check with the extension office whether your holding has a prior sanction on record before you reapply, especially if the holding recently changed hands.
• Field inspection finds the holding does not support the claimed size category. Since the unit cost and subsidy amount depend on whether the holding is above or below 2 hectares, an application that overstates holding size to claim the higher Rs 45,000 unit cost can be flagged or downgraded when the field inspection measures the actual area. Fix: apply under the size category your certified land record actually supports, not an estimate.
• Construction does not match the prescribed specification. Because the subsidy is paid only after verification of a completed cement drying yard, a yard built to a different design, size or material than the extension office specified can fail the completion inspection and delay or forfeit the payout. Fix: get the exact specification in writing from the extension office before starting construction, and keep photos and bills as you go rather than relying on memory of what was agreed.
• Bank account details are incomplete or do not match the applicant's identity. Since payment is by electronic fund transfer, a mismatched account holder name, an inactive account, or missing bank details at the time of the completion report will hold up disbursal even after the work is approved. Fix: submit bank account details in the applicant's own name and confirm the account is active before filing the completion report.