Excess rain set to shrink coffee output

India’s coffee output for the 2018-19 crop year starting October is set to shrink as unusual heavy rains over the past several weeks in the key growing regions of Kodagu and Chikamagalur have induced berry dropping and fungal diseases such as black-rot.

“This is a kind of calamity rainfall and it is going to impact the production for next season. It is difficult to quantify the crop loss at this point of time,” said Y Raghuramulu, Director-Research at the State-run Coffee Board.

Crop loss

Kodagu has received 43 per cent excess rainfall this year, so far, when compared with last year. Hassan has received 78 per cent more and Chikmagalur 51 per cent more, according to Karnataka State Natural Disaster Monitoring Centre.

There have been reports of the outbreak of fungal disease — black rot, which results in rotting of leaves and berries. Also, there have been reports of excess berry droppings due to heavy rains, he said.

A clearer picture will emerge after the assessment of crop loss is taken up once the rains stop.

HT Pramod, Chairman, Karnataka Planters Association, the apex body of coffee growers, said that rains have been excess across plantation areas in all the three major districts of Chikmagalur, Hassan and Kodagu.

“Since its still raining, it is difficult to assess the crop losses. Even the shortage of labour is hurting the growers. The migrant labourers from North Karnataka have gone back as their areas have received good rains this year,” Pramod added.

Heavy rains

Karnataka accounts for over 70 per cent of the country’s coffee output.

In Kerala — a producer of robusta variety — the Association of Planters of Kerala are estimating a crop loss of 8-10 per cent due to berry droppings on account of heavy rains.

“We have received more than the annual quota of the rains over the past 40 days and we have another 45 more days to go. July and August are considered heavy rainfall months in the region. The impact of the rains coupled with heavy winds, so far, has been severe,” said Bose Mandanna, a coffee grower at Suntikoppa in Kodagu. A similar kind of this unusual heavy rainfall pattern was witnessed way back during 1963-64, Mandanna added.

Planters, Mandanna said, are finding it difficult to take up the curative or preventive measures in their estates due to the continuous rains.

India’s coffee output which peaked to a record 3.48 lakh tonnes during 2015-16 has come down in the subsequent years on account of erratic weather pattern impacting the production.

In 2017-18, the output is estimated at 3.16 lakh tonnes, an increase of 1.3 per cent over previous year.

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