Due to the extensive torrential rains, floods and landslide damaged the coffee plantations in August-September 2019; India’s Arabica production has hit an all-time low this coffee-picking season.
Crux of the Matter
Most Arabica farmers have reported a production decline of 50%. The exact size of the output for this year will be known by the end of January.
The entire topsoil got washed away and farmers didn’t have funds to maintain their gardens. The crop is poor and the quantity too low this season.
Torrential rains washed away a big chunk of plantations and destroyed coffee plants in Chikkamagaluru, Hassan, Kodagu and Wayanad districts.
Five years ago, India’s Arabica production was 1.5 lakh tonnes. It reduced to 80,000 tonnes in 2018.
H.T. Pramod, Karnataka Planters Association said, “This is the worst Arabica crop we have seen. The berry quantity per plant is too low. We used to get at least 300 kg of parchment coffee per acre. We are getting only some 100 kg this season.’’
Curiopedia
Coffea Arabica is also known as the Arabian coffee. It is believed to be the first species of coffee to be cultivated and is the dominant cultivar, representing about 60% of global production. Coffee produced from the robusta bean makes up most of the remaining coffee production. Arabica coffee was first found in Yemen and documented by the 12th century. Wild plants grow between 9 and 12 m (30 and 39 ft) tall and have an open branching system. More Info
Coffee production in India is dominated in the hill tracts of South Indian states, with Karnataka accounting for 71%, followed by Kerala with 21% and Tamil Nadu with 5%. Indian coffee is said to be the finest coffee grown in the shade rather than direct sunlight anywhere in the world. Almost 80% of Indian coffee is exported. Italy accounts for 29% of the exports. The two well-known species of coffee grown are the Arabica and Robusta. More Info
Curated Coverage
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