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Karnataka Planters’ Association (KPA) has expressed concern over delay in implementing the12th Plan proposals for coffee.
The association in a letter to union finance ministry has said it has been delayed by more than two years and has caused a lot of hardship to the planters who are interested in making new investments. KPA has urged the ministry to notify the 12th plan for coffee on a priority basis, with no reduction of plan expenditure.
Currently, the plan proposals are pending the CCEA’s (Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs) final approval.
KPA Chairman D Govindappa Jayaram said, “Coffee growers are faced with low yields and high input costs. The only way they can increase the yield is by doing capital investments. Considering their financial condition, the only way they can achieve this is through subsidy in capital investments.”
The implementation of plan proposals will come in handy to growers especially in purchasing pulping equipment, such as eco/dry pulpers. Growers are also interested in pollution abetment equipment which are expensive are also being postponed.
“This does not augur well for the ecological balance of the Western Ghats,” said Jayaram.
With the monsoon playing truant, the possibility of the water table going down and the flow of rivers/streams reduced, there is an urgent need to dig tanks for rainwater harvesting, and for use for irrigation in the following year.
“The new technology introduced to Indian coffee, that of drip irrigation will play a very important roll in increasing productivity of Robusta, due to the terrain of plantations, ‘pressure compensated’ valves are needed which are very expensive, and they will become unavoidable to maintain economic viability. These investments are also being delayed,” explained Jayaram.
“Considering the very high incidence of white stem borer, replanting of Arabica plots are becoming all the more necessary, as the older plants and varieties of Arabica are more susceptible to the pest,” he added.
Undoubtedly, the research of the Coffee Board will also suffer if funding of projects is delayed.
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