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Our Bureau

Chennai, Nov. 20 The Coffee Board on Thursday pruned the production estimate for the current season to September 2009 by 5.6 per cent to 2.76 lakh tonnes.

In its post-monsoon estimate, available on its Web site, the board said arabica would make up 90,050 tonnes of the total estimated production and robusta 1.86 lakh tonnes. In its post-blossom estimate, it projected the production at 2.93 lakh tonnes with arabica production pegged at 1 lakh tonnes and robusta the rest.

The Coffee Board downgraded the production estimate in all the three coffee-growing districts of Karnataka — Chikmagalur, Kodagu and Hassan. “The major reason for reduction in production is attributed, besides rain on blossom day, to subsequent heavy monsoon in respective zones, resulting in berry drop due to wet feet condition,” the board said.

Heavy rains and hanging mist in certain pockets of the affected zones also resulted in severe incidences of rot/leaf diseases, in turn leading to decline in production.

Karnataka is now expected to produce 1.97 lakh tonnes of coffee against initial estimates of 2.14 lakh tonnes.

The outlook remains unchanged in Kerala at 57,200 tonnes with monsoon conditions being favourable for the crop. Production estimates in Tamil Nadu have been cut marginally to 16,440 tonnes from 16,625 tonnes.

The output estimate is, however, higher than last season’s production of 2.62 lakh tonnes.

Last year, too, monsoon, wet feet conditions and white stem borer menace cut in coffee production, after it was initially estimated at 2.91 lakh tonnes.

This year heavy rains lashed across the South during the second week of March, affecting blossoming of arabica and robusta and endangering setting of fruits in the plants.

The rains lashed continuously in Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Kerala and Andhra Pradesh due to a remnant cyclonic circulation.

Rain does fall during March every year in the coffee-growing areas, but usually it is in isolated areas. Kodagu, which accounts for over 50 per cent of coffee production in Karnataka and 40 per cent in the country, experienced heavy rainfall during that time affecting the crop.

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