Monkey Coffee

Monkey Coffee- a new high quality variety could help farmers

Theni (Tamil Nadu), June. 4 (PTI): Heard of Monkey Coffee? The variety, an "accidental" find, could transform the life of coffee cultivators for the better in Megamalai Hill area, according to Mathiazhagan, an official of the Coffee Board.

Monkey Coffee's quality in terms of flavour, taste and other properties is being tested in labs, he said.

"The monkeys atop the Megamalai Hill seemed to relish a type of fruit found commonly in the wild plantations in the coffee estates. The fruits as well as the seeds found in the monkey excreta were taken up for research. To our surprise, it was another coffee variety," Mathiazhagan said.

"We are now gathering seeds and are testing them in labs. We have also asked the farmers to cultivate them as the variety had good flavour and its plantation life was longer".

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