Development Support for Coffee in Traditional Areas: Replantation

What is the coffee replantation scheme for traditional areas?

The "Development Support for Coffee in Traditional Areas: Replantation" scheme is sub-component 1.1.1 of the Integrated Coffee Development Project (ICDP) run by the Coffee Board of India under the Ministry of Commerce and Industry. According to the Coffee Board's ICDP guidelines, its objective is "to improve the production and productivity of coffee plantations by encouraging replantation of old / senile and unproductive plantations."

Coffee bushes lose vigour with age. Replacing very old plants with high-yielding material lifts yields but costs money upfront and takes years to bear. The scheme shares that cost. According to the guidelines, the unit cost is set at Rs 3.25 lakh per hectare for Arabica and Rs 2.75 lakh per hectare for Robusta, and growers receive a percentage of that unit cost as subsidy depending on their category and holding size.

Key features

• Component of the Coffee Board's ICDP for traditional coffee areas.
• Unit cost Rs 3.25 lakh/ha (Arabica) and Rs 2.75 lakh/ha (Robusta).
• General growers: 40% subsidy up to 25 ha; SC/ST growers: up to 90%.
• Replanting permitted up to 25 ha per holding per year.
• Applied for online through coffeeboard.gov.in.

This is a grower subsidy, so an individual coffee cultivator with land can genuinely apply, unlike many institutional schemes.

Who is eligible for coffee replantation support?

You can apply if:

• You are an Indian citizen; all categories of holdings, including corporates and cooperatives, are eligible.
• Your plantation is old, senile or low-yielding: Arabica aged 25 years, Robusta aged 40 years, or Arabica dwarf aged 15 years.
• You replant by clean replanting or interlining within existing blocks, up to a maximum of 25 hectares per holding per year.
• You hold valid land ownership records and a bank account.

You cannot claim support if:

• You want to replace Arabica with Robusta at 1,100 metres MSL or above. This is not eligible.
• Your plants do not meet the age/senility criteria, unless a specific exemption is granted by the Joint Director (Extension) in consultation with the Head Office.
• You take up replantation before obtaining the Technical Feasibility Report (TFR); support is tied to prior approval and inspection.

The scale of subsidy is:

The Board may reduce the scale depending on demand and budget availability, and the applicable level is fixed on the total extent of coffee area supported by land records.

What documents are required?

How to apply for coffee replantation support

1. Register online as a grower on the Coffee Board website, www.coffeeboard.gov.in.
2. After the Coffee Board officer approves your registration, submit an online application for a Technical Feasibility Report (TFR), uploading Aadhaar, land ownership records and bank details (and caste certificate for SC/ST).
3. The concerned office scrutinises the documents and carries out a field inspection, then issues the TFR authorising you to take up the replantation.
4. Carry out the replantation: clean replanting or interlining, as per the approved plan.
5. Submit the subsidy claim with the required proof so the Board can release the installments.

How is the subsidy released?

Release depends on the method used:

• Clean replanting: 70% of eligible support in the first installment, 30% in the second.
• Interlining method: 30% first, 70% second, because old, unproductive plants are removed only after one further harvest to let new plants establish.

Help and contact

• Coffee Board of India, No.1, Dr. Ambedkar Veedhi, Bengaluru
• Official portal: coffeeboard.gov.in
• Extension offices: Joint Directors of Extension at Hassan, Kalpetta and Guwahati, and Deputy Directors of Extension in the growing districts, assist growers with registration, TFR and claims.

By subsidising the replacement of ageing coffee with high-yielding plants, the scheme aims to keep India's traditional coffee tracts productive and support the incomes of growers; including a substantially higher subsidy for SC/ST cultivators with small holdings.

How to check your application status

Coffee Board replantation support moves through three stages (registration, Technical Feasibility Report, subsidy claim), and status has to be tracked at whichever stage the application currently sits.

• Registration and TFR application status: Log in to your grower account at coffeeboard.gov.in with the credentials created at registration. The dashboard shows whether registration is pending approval by the Coffee Board officer, and once approved, whether the TFR application has been scrutinised, is awaiting field inspection, or has been issued.
• After a field inspection: The inspecting officer (Deputy Director of Extension for your growing district, or the Joint Director of Extension at Hassan, Kalpetta or Guwahati) is the point of contact if the TFR has not come through within a reasonable time after inspection. Growers can visit or write to the district extension office quoting their registration or application number.
• Subsidy claim status: After replantation is carried out and a claim is submitted, status of the first and second installment (per the 70:30 or 30:70 release schedule) is confirmed the same way, through the online account or the extension office handling the file, since release depends on a further verification visit before each installment.
• No online tracking number is issued separately from the portal login, so keep the registration number and any receipt or acknowledgment given at each stage; quoting these speeds up follow-up with the extension office.
• For queries that the portal or district office cannot resolve, the matter is raised with the Coffee Board's head office in Bengaluru at No.1, Dr. Ambedkar Veedhi.

Common reasons for rejection

• Plantation does not meet the age criterion. Arabica must be 25 years old, Robusta 40 years, and Arabica dwarf 15 years to qualify as senile for replantation support; a younger plantation is turned down unless a specific exemption is granted by the Joint Director (Extension) in consultation with the Head Office. Fix: apply for an exemption through the extension office with justification before filing the TFR application, rather than assuming age alone will be waived.
• Replacing Arabica with Robusta at high elevation. Proposals to replace Arabica with Robusta at 1,100 metres MSL or above are not eligible under the scheme. Fix: at that elevation, replant with Arabica or a permitted alternative, not Robusta.
• Replantation started before the TFR was issued. Support is tied to prior inspection and approval; claims for area replanted ahead of TFR issuance are liable to be rejected since the Board could not verify the original condition of the plantation. Fix: wait for the TFR before uprooting or replanting, even if this delays the season's work.
• Area claimed exceeds the annual ceiling. Replanting support is capped at 25 hectares per holding per year; claims beyond this in one year are not admissible for the excess area. Fix: phase larger holdings across multiple years and claim within the yearly ceiling each time.
• Mismatch between land records and the applicant. Where the Patta/Khatha, RTC, Chitta and Adangal, or possession certificate does not match the applicant's name, or a GPA holder applies without a registered power of attorney, the claim gets held up or rejected. Fix: get land records updated or the GPA registered before applying, not after the field inspection has already been scheduled.
• Caste certificate missing or not matching the SC/ST subsidy claim. Applying for the higher 90%/75% subsidy scale without a valid caste certificate results in the claim being processed only at the general rate, or returned for resubmission. Fix: attach a valid caste certificate at the TFR application stage itself if claiming the SC/ST scale.
• Bank account details incorrect or not in the applicant's name. Subsidy release fails or is delayed when the passbook copy has an inactive account, a mismatched name, or missing branch/IFSC details. Fix: submit a current passbook copy from an active scheduled bank account held in the applicant's own name.