The Coffee Board of India has indicated that coffee production for 2024-25 may be significantly lower, as high temperatures, heavy rainfall and landslides in the country’s coffee regions have caused significant damage to plants and berries.
Status of Coffee Production in India
- India is the 6th largest coffee producer and 5th largest exporter globally, accounting for 3.14% of global coffee output.
- 70% of India’s coffee produced is exported, while 30% is consumed domestically. India is renowned for its high-quality coffee varieties.
- India produced around 3.6 lakh metric tonnes of green coffee in 2023–24 crop year.
Coffee Varieties in India: Arabica and Robusta
- Characteristics of Arabica: Grown at higher altitudes and it has higher market value due to its aroma.
- Characteristics of Robusta: Known for its strength and used in various blends.
Causes of Declining Coffee Output
- Prolonged drought and soaring temperatures during the April-May period led to scorching of blossom clusters and fruit burn at the pinhead stage.
- Heavy Rainfall in July, caused severe issues like berry dropping, stalk rot, and wet foot conditions due to flooding.
- Landslides in key coffee-growing areas like Sakleshpur and Wayanad resulted in significant plant and plantation losses. These combined factors have led to an estimated yield loss of 15% to 20% in the coffee belt, with the actual damage potentially being higher.
Key Facts about Coffee Production
- Coffee was introduced to India during the late 17th century; the Dutch (who occupied much of India throughout the 17th century) helped spread the cultivation of coffee across the country, but it was with the arrival of the British in the mid-19th century that commercial coffee farming fully flourished.
- Coffee in India is grown under a canopy of thick natural shade in ecologically sensitive regions of the Western and Eastern Ghats.
- This is one of the 25 biodiversity hotspots of the world.
- Coffee contributes significantly to sustain the unique bio- diversity of the region and is also responsible for the socio-economic development in the remote, hilly areas.
- Coffee offers protection against oxidative damage, reduces the risk of type 2 diabetes, and lowers the risk of age-related diseases.
Climatic Conditions Required
- Climate – Hot and humid; temperature – ranging between 15°C and 28°C; rainfall – 150 to 250 cm.
- Frost, snowfall, high temperature >30°C and strong sun shine is not good for coffee crops and is generally grown under shady trees.
- Dry weather is necessary at the time of ripening of the berries.
- Stagnant water is harmful and the crop is grown on hill slopes at elevations from 600 to 1,600 metres above sea level.
- Well drained loam containing a good deal of humus and minerals like iron and calcium is ideal for coffee cultivation.
Soil Type
- Coffee can be grown on lots of soils but the ideal types are fertile volcanic red earth or deep sandy loam.
- For coffee trees to grow, it is important that the soil is well drained which makes heavy clay or heavy sandy soils inadequate.
Major Areas
- In India, coffee is traditionally grown in the Western Ghats spread over Karnataka, Kerala and Tamil Nadu.
- Karnataka is the largest producer accounting for about 70% of the total coffee production, followed by Kerala at 23%
- Coffee cultivation is also expanding rapidly in the nontraditional areas of Andhra Pradesh, Telangana and Odisha as well as in the North East states.