The two-day annual conference of the United Planters’ Association of Southern India (UPASI) in Coonoor, beginning on September 28, the association’s 125th such summit, will have international speakers and experts sensitising industry-insiders to the changes happening in the industry worldwide.

Titled ‘Winds of Change’, the summit will open with a short film, followed by presentations on an array of subjects: digital farming initiatives, the transformation in the coffee business, the use of drones to revolutionise agriculture, tea cultivation in Japan, fertiliser and water management. It will also feature a panel discussion on climate change.

Speaking to BusinessLine about the forthcoming event, T Jayaraman, President, UPASI, conceded that the domestic industry was in a transition phase and that planters understand that change is afoot.

“The conference is not about sustainability alone, but the entire gamut of issues that the industry is tiding with at present. This two-day discussion on the various issues impacting the plantations and workers will not suffice, but we have to start somewhere. The industry is here to stay,” he reiterated.

“Disruptive innovations are coming up in every field. We want to see if we can usher in some changes in our industry as well,” he added.

Crop losses in floods

On the recent floods that had devastated plantations in Kerala and Tamil Nadu, Jayaraman said: “The crop loss has been enormous and natural rubber was the worst hit, with a production drop of over 125,000 tonnes this year compared to the last.”

Coffee production is likely to be lower by 85,000 tonnes, while tea production is estimated to have slipped by 30+ million kg, he added.

“Cardamom production is reported to have fallen by half and pepper production is said to be down by 30000 tonnes. Total crop loss is valued at over ₹5,000 crore,” said Jayaraman.

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