The Hindu Business Line : Rain brings relief to coffee growers

THERE'S a glimmer of hope for coffee growers especially in Wayanad, Kodagu and Chickamagalur areas, with these regions experiencing rainfall during the last one week.

"Till last week, the scenario was frightening, particularly with regard to robustas. But we have received rainfall in the growing areas here that there will be a little relief," Mr Bose Mandanna, former vice-chairman of Coffee Board and a grower, told Business Line.

The rainfall is expected to help the 2004-05 crop (October-September), with the arabicas generally benefiting from the rainfall. Earlier last month, the Coffee Board had sent an SOS to the Union Government, saying delayed rainfall could have an effect on the coffee crop.

"There will be some damage to the robustas, which generally require rains during the last week of February or early March. But a good percentage of the robusta crop is expected to come good," Mr Mandanna said.

Robustas do not grow in shades like the arabicas, and they utilise water from the sub-soil. Hence, it is important that they get rain on time.

"The last time we had rains in these regions was in October. After that, we had a six-month drought," he said.

Grower sources said coffee production could still be down by about 20 per cent against the budwood estimates made by the trade. Budwood estimates had put production during the next season at 2.75 lakh tonnes with robusta output projected at 1.75 lakh tonnes and arabicas the rest.

"Robusta crop will be a little lower since the rains were delayed. As regards Arabica, rampant white stem borer attack is expected to hit the crop," they said.

The projections for next year are against 2.5 lakh tonnes estimated this year and 2.75 lakh tonnes the previous year.

This year, too, white stem borer attack had led to fall in arabica crop to around 75,000 tonnes from 1.02 lakh tonnes during 2002-'03.

According to Mr Mandanna, robusta crop in south Kodagu was in poor condition since there are no irrigation facilities there. "No doubt, the Coffee Board has helped growers with things like sprinklers. But the water in the reservoirs are almost nil and we are not allowed to draw water from the Cauvery," he said.

The problem for coffee growers is that they are just coming off from a period when the prices hit rock-bottom. Also, prices of pepper, which is grown as inter-crop, are ruling low on high carryover stocks in the global market.

Coffee prices, after hitting a 20-year low in 2002, are currently on the recovery path.

However, according to the International Coffee Organisation, even this rise in prices does not signal the end of the crisis caused by a protracted period of low prices since 1999.

Karnataka accounts for over 70 per cent of the coffee grown in the country, and two-thirds of the production is exported.

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