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The coffee industry’s productivity in the country has dropped nearly 12 per cent to 748 kg a hectare, according to the Karnataka Planters Association. Addressing reporters in connection with the UPASI-KPA coffee conference here, Nishant R. Gurjer, Chairman of Karnataka Planters’ Association, said: “The once vibrant plantation industry is now at crossroads with steep rise in inputs costs, followed by severe shortage of labour and higher labour wages.”
“The industry is also plagued by low productivity, extreme volatility in prices with prices of arabica coffee dropping to its lowest in seven years,” he said.
Low productivity
Due to low productivity, the industry is losing out to other coffee-growing countries. “Indian productivity has declined in the last few years to 748 kg a hectare. The productivity levels in high-yielding coffee producing countries clearly indicate that Vietnam and Brazil are way ahead in productivity levels.” Vietnam’s productivity is estimated to be 2,188 kg a hectare which is approximately 2.6 times that of Indian levels. Brazil’s productivity is 1,257 kg a hectare, 1.5 times that of India.India’s production has stagnated at around 5 million bags (60 kg) for over a few decades. Brazil, on the other hand, has been clocking at over 43-40 million bags for the last four years and Vietnam, which was not in the picture a few decades ago, is now witnessing production levels upward of 20 million bags.
Gurjer said: “It is regretful that for the last several decades, no sufficient research has been done to find a remedy for the incidence of white stem borer in arabica coffee or in coming up with clonal varieties that are high-yielding and can resist drought and disease.”
Stressing the urgent need for developing high-yielding coffee varieties to boost production, he said: “Countries such as Brazil and Vietnam have made phenomenal developments in research by bringing out high yielding varieties that are resistant to pests, diseases and drought.”
“In India there has been research in other commodities such tea, rubber and spices leading to release of improved varieties,” he said.
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