Rain triggers berry droppings in Arabica coffee; set to cut crop size by about a fifth

The current spell of unseasonal rain is seen impacting the ongoing Arabica coffee harvest in the key producing regions of Karnataka and Tamil Nadu, triggering quality and crop loss concerns among the growers.

Rainfall in recent days has triggered berry droppings, wherein the ripened fruits on coffee bushes split and fall down to the earth, resulting in a crop loss for the growers.

A section of growers and exporters believe that berry dropping this year could be in the range of 10-20 per cent of the crop size, higher than the normal 5-7 per cent and could potentially result in a Arabica crop loss of up to a fifth for the 2015-16 season. While some portion of such dropped berries or split beans could be recovered, the rest is considered as a loss.

“There has been some impact of the rains on the Arabica harvest largely in the lower elevation areas of Sakleshpur, Coorg and Chikmagalur. However, it is too early to quantify the losses,” said Y Raghuramulu, Director, Central Coffee Research Institute, Balehonnur in Chikmagalur. The losses could be quantified once the ongoing post-monsoon crop survey by the Coffee Board is completed, he added.

In the initial or post blossom estimates, the Coffee Board had pegged the Arabica crop size for 2015-16 at 1.10 lakh tonnes, up 12.55 per cent over 2014-15’s final estimate of 97,700 tonnes. Arabica harvest has been advanced by about two to three weeks this year due to the timely rainfall.

K Kurian, Chairman of the Karnataka Planters Association, said the recent rains have enhanced the worries of growers and are seen escalating their harvesting costs. To collect the split beans that have fallen on to the ground, planters have to spend more on the labour.

“Lot of coffee has fallen to the ground,” said N Bose Mandanna, a large grower in Suntikoppa, Coorg, estimating the berry droppings at around 20 per cent of the crop. He said it was difficult to pick up the coffee that has fallen as it gets stamped in the wet soil and is never to be recovered.

Ramesh Rajah, President of Coffee Exporters Association, estimates the berry dropping to the tune of around 10 per cent of the crop size. While the arabica crop is largely unscathed in Kerala, the rains have impacted the crop in Tamil Nadu and Karnataka, he added.

Vijayan Rajes of MSP Plantations in Yercaud said the recent heavy rainfall brought about by a low pressure in the Bay was unusual and that is has not only impacted the coffee harvest but also caused damages to the pepper vines in the region.

COMMENT NOW