The Coffee Research Centre established by the government at Baletaksar in Gulmi district has as its objectives dealing with problems related to coffee farming and increasing productivity. 

Inaugurating the research centre, Chief Secretary Lilamani Paudel said the centre could help solve problems related to coffee from across the country. 

He added that the government had been considering providing the necessary infrastructure, scientists and manpower required for the centre.

Gulmi is a pioneer in coffee production in the country with a history of coffee farming going back 75 years. Efforts to set up a research centre began only recently after  a massive outbreak of Seto Gavaro, a type of pest that affects coffee plants. 

The newly established centre is spread over an area of 101 ropanis at Bhandari Danda in Baletaksar.

It is believed that coffee farming began in Gulmi after a local named Hira Giri brought back coffee plants from Myanmar. However, commercial cultivation began only in 1986. 

The Coffee Development Centre was established in Aapchaur after the late king Birendra ordered the government to set up an office and make water available to coffee growers in the area.

Normally, coffee research centres need to be set up at an altitude of 850 m to 1,000 m. Since the Coffee Development Centre was built at a lower elevation of 630 m, it was not effective.

The new Coffee Research Centre possesses requirements like a suitable land structure and an adequate supply of water and electricity. The centre has planned to start coffee cultivation from this year.

According to the District Agriculture Development Office (DADO), the research centre will work in coordination with agriculture researchers in Malepatan, Pokhara. 

Senior Officer Chetnath Adhikari of the DADO said they would arrange for agricultural specialists to be available at the office from the next fiscal year.