Comments
The state-run Coffee Board has pegged the crop loss at 82,000 tonnes for the crop year 2018-19 starting October on account of the incessant South-West monsoon rains that has lashed the key growing regions in Karnataka, Kerala and Tamil Nadu in recent months. This would mean that India's 2018-19 crop is likely to be lower by at least 26 per cent over the current year's crop size of 3.16 lakh tonnes.
Based on a preliminary assessment of the affected regions, the Coffee Board in a press release on Saturday, said the highest crop loss has occurred in Karnataka, the largest producer of the commodity, followed by Kerala and Tamil Nadu. The board said nearly 100 of its personnel have been working with the revenue administration, assessing the damage caused by the heavy rains in August.
Further, the board has suggested that the Centre consider a special relief package for growers as it feels that the compensation paid under the Calamity Relief Fund, under the National Disaster Management Plan, would not be sufficient to recoup the losses.
The unusually heavy rains over the past couple of months in Kodagu, Chikmagalur, Hassan and Wayanad districts had triggered flooding and landslides, impacting the livelihoods of the people in the region, who mainly depend on plantation crops such as coffee, pepper and arecanut. Besides causing damage to the standing crop, the rains have also caused significant damage to the infrastructure property of the growers. Karnataka accounts for over 70 per cent of the coffee produced in the country, followed by Kerala, which produces around 20 per cent of the commodity.
The Karnataka Planters’ Association, the apex body of growers, has pegged the losses incurred by the growers at around Rs 2,500 crore. Similarly, the coffee growers in Wayanad estimate the crop loss at around 25 per cent.
“The growers’ associations have been requesting waiver of interest on coffee loans, rescheduling of outstanding loans, and reduction in interest rate on coffee loans to 3 per cent for loans up to Rs 25 lakh, and 6 per cent for loans of more than Rs 25 lakh in view of the prevailing conditions of severe calamity. The demand of the growers’ associations are justified, considering the unprecedented difficult times faced by the growers," the board said in the release.
Comments
COMMENT NOW
Comments
Comments have to be in English, and in full sentences. They cannot be abusive or personal. Please abide by our community guidelines for posting your comments.
We have migrated to a new commenting platform. If you are already a registered user of TheHindu Businessline and logged in, you may continue to engage with our articles. If you do not have an account please register and login to post comments. Users can access their older comments by logging into their accounts on Vuukle.