NEW DELHI: Minister of Commerce and Industry Piyush Goyal has asked the Coffee Board of India and the International Coffee Organisation (ICO) to explore ways for making Indian coffee a global brand and the country a sustainable destination for coffee enthusiasts as the country gears up to host the World Coffee Conference for the first time in India.
Addressing the curtain-raiser event, Goyal urged industry experts to make efforts so that coffee farmers become valuable stakeholders in the value chain. This will have a positive impact on 25 million families who depend on coffee cultivation worldwide.
Goyal also suggested that a rupee may be added to every cup of coffee that is bought all over the world by coffee lovers and this can be given to coffee growers for a positive impact on their lives.
The three-day coffee expo will be held in Bengaluru from September 7-12, 2020 and will see the participation of 78 member countries of ICO and over a lakh from the coffee fraternity. Jose Dauster Sette, executive director, ICO, also said coffee prices have fallen by 30 per cent from its peak which is a cause of concern for producers. This can be offset by increasing coffee consumption.
Commenting on why India is hosting the event, Sette said, “With countries such as India, Vietnam, Indonesia and Nepal accounting for 33 per cent of the world coffee production, and consumption growing anywhere between 6-15 per cent as against the world’s average of about two per cent year-on-year, Asia has become a region of high importance."
He also added that the Indian market is the fastest-growing and consuming market known for growing both the important varieties of coffee -Arabica and Robusta.