VOA常速英语2007年-Unique Indian Coffee Plantation Falls to Conser

By Steve Herman
New Delhi
20 December 2007

Espresso drinkers are losing what critics praise as one of the world's best "certified¹ organic" robusta coffees. The government of Kerala state has refused to extend the lease on the land where the rare beans are grown. VOA correspondent Steve Herman reports from New Delhi.

A clash between conservation and agricultural development in India has led to the loss of what is reputed to be the world's only certified "bio-dynamic", organic robusta coffee estate.

A true bio-dynamic farm is entirely² self-sufficient, producing its own compost and seeds in a closed eco-system.

That was the way of growing coffee beans at India's only internationally certified organic plantation³, the shade-covered Thuthampara estate in the southern state of Kerala.

The land's 99-year lease ended this year and the state's forest department recently took custody⁴ of the property, despite appeals by the growers for a court injunction.

Chief executive Thomas Jacob of Poabs Plantations⁵, which owned the farm, says the unique property will be very difficult to replicate⁶ elsewhere.

"To do organic practices under these standards then you need to have locations which have been completely isolated⁷ from conventional farms," he said. "We are trying to promote organic agriculture as much as possible so that it becomes a movement in this part of the world and more and more growers get into this."

The company began growing the esoteric robusta beans on the property more than a decade ago and says it invested $15 million to achieve the coveted⁸ organic certifications. The coffee went on the international market five years ago, commanding much higher prices than that from non-organic beans.

 

Importers of the plantation's coffee in the United States, Japan and Germany had appealed to Indian ambassadors and India's prime minister's office to preserve the estate, but to no avail.

The lease had originally been authorized⁹ by the Raja of Cochin in 1909, but some environmentalists objected to its operation because a wildlife sanctuary¹⁰ is now adjacent to the property. The decision to shut down the plantation has resulted in hundreds of workers losing their jobs and espresso drinkers overseas losing a unique and healthy coffee bean.

1 certified   

a.经证明合格的；具有证明文件的

参考例句：

• Doctors certified him as insane. 医生证明他精神失常。
• The planes were certified airworthy. 飞机被证明适于航行。

2 entirely   

ad.全部地，完整地；完全地，彻底地

参考例句：

• The fire was entirely caused by their neglect of duty. 那场火灾完全是由于他们失职而引起的。
• His life was entirely given up to the educational work. 他的一生统统献给了教育工作。

3 plantation   

n.种植园，大农场

参考例句：

• His father-in-law is a plantation manager.他岳父是个种植园经营者。
• The plantation owner has possessed himself of a vast piece of land.这个种植园主把大片土地占为己有。

4 custody   

n.监护，照看，羁押，拘留

参考例句：

• He spent a week in custody on remand awaiting sentence.等候判决期间他被还押候审一个星期。
• He was taken into custody immediately after the robbery.抢劫案发生后，他立即被押了起来。

5 plantations   

n.种植园，大农场( plantation的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Soon great plantations, supported by slave labor, made some families very wealthy. 不久之后出现了依靠奴隶劳动的大庄园，使一些家庭成了富豪。 来自英汉非文学 - 政府文件
• Winterborne's contract was completed, and the plantations were deserted. 维恩特波恩的合同完成后，那片林地变得荒废了。 来自辞典例句

6 replicate   

v.折叠，复制，模写；n.同样的样品；adj.转折的

参考例句：

• The DNA of chromatin must replicate before cell division.染色质DNA在细胞分裂之前必须复制。
• It is also easy to replicate,as the next subsection explains.就像下一个小节详细说明的那样，它还可以被轻易的复制。

7 isolated   

adj.与世隔绝的

参考例句：

• His bad behaviour was just an isolated incident. 他的不良行为只是个别事件。
• Patients with the disease should be isolated. 这种病的患者应予以隔离。

8 coveted   

adj.令人垂涎的；垂涎的，梦寐以求的v.贪求，觊觎(covet的过去分词)；垂涎；贪图

参考例句：

• He had long coveted the chance to work with a famous musician. 他一直渴望有机会与著名音乐家一起工作。
• Ther other boys coveted his new bat. 其他的男孩都想得到他的新球棒。 来自《简明英汉词典》

9 authorized   

a.委任的，许可的

参考例句：

• An administrative order is valid if authorized by a statute.如果一个行政命令得到一个法规的认可那么这个命令就是有效的。

10 sanctuary   

n.圣所，圣堂，寺庙；禁猎区，保护区

参考例句：

• There was a sanctuary of political refugees behind the hospital.医院后面有一个政治难民的避难所。
• Most countries refuse to give sanctuary to people who hijack aeroplanes.大多数国家拒绝对劫机者提供庇护。