SOMWARPET: COFFEE production may come down by 10-15 per cent, due to a lack of blossom showers, according to the Coffee Board’s pre-monsoon estimation. Though the estimation has not been made officially, it is expected to be announced next week. Coffee Board sources disclosed the same to Express.
The district did not receive rain during March and April, which is essential for the plants, in order to yield coffee. On the other hand, the temperature in the district has risen to 32-33 degree Celsius, which is causing the moisture in the soil to evaporate. Coffee plants require blossom showers during February and March, which decides the yield of coffee in that particular year.
Last year, many parts of the district received rainfall in February itself, but this year, 90 per cent of the plantations in the district received rain starting only in May. Coffee grower B B Sathish from Takeri told Express that owing to the delay in rain, he has lost nearly 40 per cent of his crop this year.
He said young coffee and pepper plants wilted in the summer, owing to a dry-spell, but that the rising temperatures did not have an adverse affect on the coffee plants in the old coffee estates.
Coffee Board sources said that in Virajpet taluk, which mainly produces the Robusta variety of coffee, the coffee crops were in a good condition as the bigger growers can afford to use sprinklers during the summer. But in Somwarpet taluk, which is the taluk producing the most Arabica coffee in the country, the crops were in a bad state.
Last year, the total production of coffee in the country was 3.27 lakh metric tonnes, of which 98,000 metric tonnes were of Arabica coffee, and 2.29 lakh metric tonnes of Robusta coffee. The district produced 1.22 lakh metric tonnes of coffee.
The production of coffee in Somwarpet taluk was 18,250 metric tonnes, while the total production of coffee in the state is 2.33 lakh metric tonnes. Kerala produces 67,253 metric tonnes of coffee, Tamil Nadu produces 17,000 metric tonnes and Andhra Pradesh 7,425 metric tonnes. India exports around 1.5 lakh metric tonnes of coffee every year. Around 90 per cent of coffee growers cultivate coffee on below five acres, and they cannot afford to use sprinklers. There are more than 25,000 coffee growers in the district.
The production cost of coffee is increasing year after year, and the climatic conditions are worsening. The slump in coffee prices this year has worried growers. The price of a 50 kg bag of Arabica parchment coffee came down to Rs 7,600-Rs 7700 in the district on June 10, while the price was Rs 9,800 at this time last year.
The price of Robusta parchment dropped to Rs 5,800 per bag, from last years price of Rs 7,000. The 20-25 per cent price drop is bad news for coffee growers, as the production costs have also gone up. Coffee Growers Association secretary M A Sham Prasad told ‘Express’ that growers are in distress.
“Last year, excess rainfall damaged the coffee crops. The increased cost of fertilisers and pesticides as well as labour, has hit the coffee industry. The coffee crops have also perished due to blight,” he said.
He said his association will demand that the Union and state governments waive the loan and interest of growers, but that the governments are yet to respond. He said it was difficult to maintain coffee estates, in the present circumstances.