A crisis is brewing in the coffee industry

Subject : Geography

Context: Coffee cultivation is becoming an increasingly loss-making proposition in India

Concept:

Geographical Conditions

Coffee plant requires hot and humid climate with temperatures ranging between 15°C and 28 °C and rainfall from 150 to 250 cm.
Frost, snowfall, high temperature above 30°C and strong sun shine is not good for coffee crop 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, loams containing good deal of humus and minerals like iron and calcium are ideal for coffee cultivation.

Geographical Distribution

In India, coffee is cultivated in about 4.54 lakh hectares by 3.66 lakh coffee farmers of which 98% are small farmers.
The cultivation is mainly done in the Southern States of India:
- Karnataka – 54%
- Kerala – 19%
- Tamil Nadu – 8%
It is also grown in non-traditional areas like Andhra Pradesh and Odisha (17.2%) and North East States (1.8%).
India is the only country in the world where the entire coffee cultivation is grown under shade, hand-picked and sun dried.
India produces some of the best coffee in the world, grown by tribal farmers in the Western and Eastern Ghats,which are the two major biodiversity hotspots in the world.
Indian coffee is highly valued in the world market and is sold as premium coffee in Europe.
India ranks 6th among the world’s 80 coffee producing countries, with some of the finest robusta and some top-notch arabica cultivated.
Nearly 70% of India’s coffee is exported, largely to European and Asian markets.
Coffee in India is traditionally grown in the rainforests of the Western Ghats in South India, covering Chikmagalur, Kodagu (Coorg), Wayanad, the Shevaroy Hills and the Nilgiris.

Challenges in coffee industry:

Facts: Top 3 coffee producing countries are Brazil, Vietnam and Colombia