KARNATAKA PLANTERS ASSOCIATION NEWSLETTER ISSUE 1

KARNATAKA PLANTERS’ ASSOCIATON
News Letter- 1

Dear Member,

It is with a profound sense of responsibility and immense gratitude that I address you as the newly elected Chairman of the Karnataka Planters' Association for 2025 - 26. I am deeply honoured by the trust you placed in me during our 67th Annual General Meeting in Chikmagalur this past November.

The last few months have been incredibly active and as we reect on our shared journey, I remain steadfast in my commitment to advocating for the interests of our planting community. To drive the Karnataka Plantation Sector toward a more resilient and prosperous future, I humbly request your continued support and collaboration.

At the AGM, the General Body elected the following members to the Executive Committee to lead our Association forward

1. Executive Committee & Sub Committees for 2025-26

The Executive Committee and Sub Committees formed for the year 2025-26 are as 

follows: 

a) Executive Committee Members

• Mr. M. Salman Baseer (Chairman)

• Mr. M.C. Kariappa

• Mr. Yeshwant R. Gurjer

• Mr. Sameer Gurjer

• Mr. A.P. Rajaram

• Mrs. A. Namitha Rao

• Mr. P.M. Pavan Monnappa

• Mr. K.P. Appaiah

• Mr. A. Nanda Belliappa

• Mr. Krishanth Chowdlu

• Mr. Vishal Ponnappa

b) Co-opted Members

• Mr. AL. RM. Nagappan

• Mr. Jeffry Rebello

• Mr. Ajoy Thipaiah

• Mr. Sahadev Balakrishna

• Mr. Marvin Rodrigues

• Mr. Nishant R. Gurjer

• Mr. Baba P.S. Bedi

• Dr. M.M. Chengappa

• Mr. H.T. Pramod

• Mr. Shirish Vijayendra

• Mr. S. Appadurai

• Mr. N. Ramanathan

• Mr. Mahesh Shashidhar

• Mr. K.G. Rajeev

• Mr. A. Arvind Rao

• Mr. N. Bose Mandanna

• Mr. Jagan Thimaiah K.

• Mr. Rohan Kuriyan (Convener, Tea Committee)

• Mr. Rahul Arun (President, KPA Sports Club)

• Dr. Khalid Saleem (Convener, Mechanization Committee)

• Mr. P.K. Mathew

c) KPA Trustees, Trustees of Silver Jubilee Trust & Late R. Radcliffe Memorial Scholarship

and JRD Tata-KPA Golden Jubilee Education Fund Trust and TEDT.

1. Mr. M. Salman Baseer

2. Mr. M.C. Kariappa

3. Mr. Yeshwant R. Gurjer

4. Mr. A. Arvind Rao

d) KPA Sub-Committees & their Conveners:

1. Taxation & Finance Committee Convener - Mr. Yeshwant R. Gurjer

2. Negotiation Committee Convener - Mr. AL. RM. Nagappan

3. Scientic Committee Convener – Mr. A.P. Rajaram

4. Land Matters Committee Convener – Mr. M.C. Kariappa

5. Tea Committee Convener - Mr. Rohan Kuriyan

6. Membership Drive Committee Convener - Mr. Sameer Gurjer

7. Environment Awareness Committee Convener - Mr. Krishanth Chowdlu

8. Sports Committee Convener - Mr. Rahul Arun

9. Marketing & Communication Committee Convener – Mrs. A. Namitha Rao

10.Mechanization Committee Convener - Dr. Khalid Saleem

11.AGM/BGM Sub-Committee Convener – Mr. M. Salman Baseer

2. Key Meetings and Engagements

KPA Tea Committee visit with UPASI

2025:

In a landmark initiative, the KPA Tea Committee organized its rst-ever study tour in conjunction with the Tea Area Scientic Conference. Coordinated and hosted by UPASI, the tour offered members a deep dive into the operations of Tamil Nadu's premier tea Districts.

The delegation visited several prominent tea estates and CTC factories across Coonoor and Annamalai, alongside specialized visits to the Tea Research Foundation (TRF) facilities in both Coonoor and Valparai.

Meeting with DFO, Forest Department, Chikmagalur

I along with the Vice Chairman Mr. M.C. Kariappa, Past Chairman Mr. Mahesh Shashidhar, E.C. Members Mr. Yeshwant R. Gurjer, Mr. Sameer Gurjer, Mr. A.P. Rajaram, Mr. A. Nanda Belliappa and Mr. Rahul Arun met Mr. Ramesh Babu, District Forest Ofcer, Forest Department, Chikmagalur to discuss with regards to the Forest Land Grant Issues.

The Special Investigation Team (SIT) report is due for submission by March 31, 2026. The Committee has resolved to defer any formal action or further advocacy on this matter until the ndings of the SIT report are made public and thoroughly reviewed.

I met Mr. Saurav Kumar, District Forest Ofcer, Forest Department, Hassan, as well on 1st December, 2025 to discuss on the above matter.

Meeting with CEO, Coffee Board

I along with the Vice-Chairman Mr. M.C. Kariappa, Mr. A.P. Rajaram and Mr. B.G. Kushalappa, IRO, KPA had met Mr. M. Kurma Rao, IAS., CEO & Secretary, Coffee Board, Bangalore on 11th December, 2025 to discuss regarding the Centenary Celebration of the Central Coffee Research Institute held from 20th to 22nd December, 2025 at Balehonnur, Chikkamagaluru.

Legal Consultations - Sr. Advocate S.N. Murthy

I along with the Vice-Chairman Mr. M.C. Kariappa, Mr. P.K. Mathew, TATA Coffee Ltd., and IRO KPA had met Mr. S.N. Murthy, Sr. Advocate, Bangalore on 11th December, 2025 for discussion on Menstrual Leave Notication.

CCRI Centenary Celebrations

I along with few of our Past Chairmen and Members of our Association had attended the Celebration of Centenary Year of Central Coffee Research Institute from 20th to 22nd December, 2025 at the CCRI, CRS, Chikmagalur District.

Meeting with Labour Minister Sri. Santosh Lad

I along with the Past Chairman Mr. Mahesh Shashidhar and EC Member Mr. A.P. Rajaram met Mr. Santosh Lad, Hon'ble Labour Minister, Government of Karnataka at his Ofce at Vidhana Soudha, Bangalore on 23rd December, 2025 and discussed the problems faced by the Plantation Industry, especially with regards to Menstrual Leave Notication.

FSSAI Virtual Session

On January 12, I was joined by a distinguished group of our leadership including Past Chairmen Mr. Ajoy Thipaiah and Mr. Sahadev Balakrishna, Immediate Past Chairman Mr. A. Arvind Rao, Vice-Chairman Mr. M.C. Kariappa, Trustee Mr. Yeshwant R. Gurjer and Secretary Mr. Bhavish Nachappa for a vital virtual session with the FSSAI.

Our participation underscored our commitment to Brand Integrity and Transparency. By advocating for a "Value over Volume" approach and a more rigorous labelling framework, we continue to ensure that our industry remains a global leader in quality and consumer trust.

Employees' State Insurance (ESI) Consultations

On January 16th 2026, I, along with the IRO KPA and Tata Coffee Ltd., held successful consultations with Senior Labour Department Ofcials and ESI leadership. The primary focus was the Code on Social Security, 2020, and its impact on Coffee, Tea, Rubber and Cardamom factories.

The KPA provided an in-depth analysis of the practical consequences and logistical challenges of implementing ESI within Tea, Coffee, Rubber, and Cardamom factories A formal Memorandum was submitted requesting that the Government consider "optional applicability" for these specic sectors to better suit the unique nature of plantation work.

The Ofcials assured that the matter would be taken up while framing the State Rules under the Code on Social Security, 2020.

On the same day, we also met the Regional Director, ESI, Bengaluru and submitted a Memorandum. The Regional Director informed that he would take up the issue with Higher Authorities to consider necessary Amendments before the publication of the Central Rules under the Code on Social Security, 2020.

3. Field Visits

Maggemane Estate, Arakalgud

On January 27, 2026, the Scientic Committee organized an insightful eld visit to M/s. Maggemane Estate in Arakalgud, Hassan District. A total of 48 members participated in this comprehensive tour, which showcased the cutting edge of diversied and sustainable plantation management.

The Field Visit was covered the following aspects

1. Sandalwood and Coffee Estate Visit. Gravity - Based Irrigation setup.

2. Dairy Farm Visit (housing over 1000 cows)

3. Technical Session

4. Clean Milk Product Factory Visit (First Indian Factory to be Certied Humane)

5. Integrated Farm Visit

Delhi Delegation (MoLE & ESIC)

I along with Mr. P.K. Mathew, Member, EC, KPA and delegates from UPASI, PAT met Mr. Ajay Sharma, IAS, Additional Secretary, Ministry of Labour & Employment (MoLE), Mr. Sahu, Director, MoLE & Mr. Ashok Kumar Singh, IAS, Director General of ESI, Mr. Deepak Joshi, Insurance Commissioner, Dr. R. Srinivasan, Medical Commissioner.

Our delegation proposed the following:

• Amending the First Schedule (via Section 152) to provide plantation factories the option to voluntarily opt for coverage.
• Issuing orders under Section 163(1) to conrm that ESI is not mandatory for our sector.
• Directing the ESIC under Section 149(ii) to withhold enforcement and contribution demands until the formal notication of these amendments. The meetings were productive, with ofcials acknowledging our specic concerns. Notably, the Additional Secretary (MoLE) conrmed that our proposal to exercise Section 152 for the First Schedule amendment is currently under examination.

Pepper Field Visit - Belur Taluk

The Scientic Committee organized an intensive eld visit to Cheekanahally Estate and Gauthally Estate in Belur Taluk, Hassan District. The event saw active participation from 40 members, who explored modern cultivation techniques and value-addition strategies.

The Field Visit covered the following aspects such as;

1. Pepper Field Visit.

2. Arabica and Robusta Planation Visit.

3. Presentation on Single Estate Origin Speciality Coffee.

4. Presentation on Plantation to Consumer Journey.

4. Strategic Initiatives & Events

India International Coffee Festival (IICF) - 2026

The India International Coffee Festival was held successfully from 12th to 14th Feb, 2026. To strongly encourage our members, particularly individual growers and Entrepreneurs, to participate and showcase their estate origin coffees at this prominent event, KPA together with UPASI, offered an attractive Participation Incentive. We are pleased to inform that some of our members have enthusiastically participated & showcased their Estate Origin Coffees and the Incentive amounts have been disbursed.

Pre-Budget Memorandum 2026-27

The Association had sent its Pre-Budget Memorandum 2026-27 to the Hon'ble Chief Minister, Dy. Chief Minister and I along with Trustee Mr Yeshwant Gurjer and Past Chairman Mr Mahesh Shashidhar personally handed it over to Dr. P.C. Jaffer, IAS., Secretary (Budget & Resources)Finance Department, Govt. of Karnataka. The following requests were made in the Memorandum.

1. Increase allocation of funds to the forest department to address Man Wild Animal Conict, construction of the railway barricading along the forest boundaries in plantation areas and implementation of non-lethal methods like electric fencing and early warning systems.

2. Climate Insurance: Launch of a state-backed Weather-Linked Crop Insurance Scheme for Coffee and Rubber.

3. Water Harvesting and Conservation: Launch of a state-backed Prioritizing Water Harvesting and Conservation through the construction of Water Tanks.

4. Waiver of the 0.5% stamp duty on developmental loans: To further encourage capital investment in the plantation sector, we request the State Government to consider a waiver of the 0.5% Stamp Duty.

5. Infrastructure: Dedicated “Road Development Fund" for the Malnad Region.

6. Incentivizing Mechanization: Introduction of a specialized credit scheme Interestfree (0%) or highly subsidized low-interest loans for the procurement of mechanization and smart-farming technologies.

7. Increase the fund quantum and the land-holding (hectare) eligibility limits for 3% low-interest loans to ensure broader coverage and more meaningful nancial support for the plantation community.

KAPPEC Training Programme

Products arranged by KAPPEC on 17th February, 2026. On February 17, 2026, the Karnataka State Agricultural Produce Processing and Export Corporation (KAPPEC) organized a comprehensive one-day training programme at the Zilla Panchayat, Chikmagalur. The session focused on the critical aspects of Processing, Value Addition, and Exporting Black Pepper and other regional spice products.

The Association was represented by Mr. Bhavish Nachappa (Secretary) and Mr. U.S. Devanand (Ofce-in-Charge), who were joined by several KPA members from the Chikmagalur District.

16. Meeting with Hon'ble Minister of State, MoLE 13th March 2026.Mr. Ajoy Thipaiah, President-UPASI, Mr. R. Sanjith, Secretary General-UPASI, Mr.

Yeshwant R. Gurjer and Mr. P.K. Mathew, Executive Committee Members of our Association met Sushri Shobha Karandlaje, Hon'ble Minister of State, Ministry of Labour and Employment, Government of India on 13th March, 2026 at Bangalore. The KPA/UPASI delegates appraised the Hon'ble Minister about difculties being faced by the plantations in view of ESI coverage to plantation factories of tea, coffee, rubber and cardamom, as per the provisions of Code on Social Security, 2020. The Hon'ble Minister assured the delegates that UPASI/KPA representation would be referred to senior ofcials of the Ministry to examine the matter for necessary action.

68th KPA Budget General Meeting

The 68th Budget General Meeting of the Association was held on 24th March 2026 at the Munzerabad Club, Hassan. The Budget Estimate for the year 2026-27 and Revised Budget Estimate for the year 2025-26 of the Association and other agenda subjects was discussed at the meeting.

KPA Sports Club: Pickleball Tournament

On Tuesday, March 24, 2026, the KPA Sports Club successfully organized a Pickleball Tournament at the Munzerabad Club in Sakleshpur. The event brought together members and their families for an afternoon of competitive sportsmanship The Subscription rates for the nancial year 2026-27 was xed as below

Note: The above Subscription rates are payable with GST at 18% p.a.

Board Meeting: Occupational Safety Code

I along with the Vice Chairman, Secretary, IRO KPA, P.K. Mathew IRO Tata Coffee Ltd and various Union leaders from the plantation Industry attended the Board Meeting organized by the state government with regards to the Drafting of Karnataka rules specically for the plantation Industry under The Occupational Safety, Health and Working Conditions Code, 2020.

20. UPASI Meetings:

I had attended the UPASI Trustees and EC Meeting held on 30th January, 2026 at Coonoor. The Commodity situation, UPASI's Budget proposals for tabling at the UPASI BGM and other plantation issues were discussed at the meetings. The Vice Chairman attended the Trustees and EC Meeting held on 18th March, 2026. The Commodity situation, Human Wild-Life Conict, and other plantation ssues were discussed at the meetings and he attended the EGM and BGM held on 19th March 2026 at Coonoor.

5. KPA Circulars

The following circulars were sent from the KPA ofce by e-mail and post. I request members to go through the same.

• Compulsory Contribution to the Karnataka Labour Welfare Fund.

• List of KPA Office Holidays for the year 2026.

• Field Visit to Maggemane Estate on 27th January, 2026.

• IICF – 2026 : from 12th to 14th February, 2026 at Bangalore.

• Pepper Field Visit to Cheekanahally and Gauthally Estate on 10th Feb. 2026.

• Advance Notice – 68th BGM on 24th March, 2026 at Munzerabad Club.

• Variable Dearness Allowance (VDA) to Staff from 01-01-2026 to 31-03-2026.

• List of Members of the Executive Committee – 2025-26.

• VDA to Plantation Workers from 1st April, 2026 to 31st March, 2027.

• Notice & Agenda for the 68th Budget General Meeting on 24th March, 2026.

• Visit to St. Joseph Estate, Tamil Nadu on 7th April, 2026.

• VDA to Staff from 1st April, 2026 to 30th June, 2026.

With Best Wishes & Warm Regards,
Yours sincerely,
M. Salman Baseer
Chairman