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Al Jazeera
Al Jazeera
Gurvinder Singh

‘We have no option’: An election protest brews in Indian coffee capital

Araku Valley farmer Nava Roja holding coffee beans that originate on her land, but that fetch her less than 1 percent of what they are sold for in the international export market [Gurvinder Singh/Al Jazeera]

Araku Valley, India – Gemmala Sita is proud of the coffee beans she grows on what is among the world’s largest organic, fair-trade plantations. Her Arabica beans end up as steaming cups of coffee in the chic cafes of Paris and Dubai, Stockholm and Rome.

But the 29-year-old’s own life is a struggle for the basics. She must bathe in a makeshift washroom made of bamboo and covered with used household cloths.

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