Coffee exports in 2009 will drop to 180,000-190,000 tonnes in India due to the challenges faced in production, Coffee Board Chairman G V Krishna Rau said.
“Coffee production faces huge challenges mainly on account of climatic changes, increasing cost of production and limitations in technology adoptions,” said Rau in a press conference.
In 2008, coffee exports from India stood at 219,583 tonnes. Indian coffee industry mainly depends on the export of green coffee and partly instant coffee.
“Though in a small way, but we have recently started exporting some amount of roasted and ground coffee and we see a positive trend in that,” Rau said.
Coffee Board expects the coffee output for October-September 2009-10 to be lower than the prior estimate of 306,300 tonnes. “Heavy monsoons in some parts of Coorg have damaged some crops which can lead to revision of our prior estimate,” Rau said.
The third India International Coffee Festival commencing on October 7 will be hosted in Bangalore.
“The festival will provide an excellent opportunity for the entrepreneurs to explore opportunities and start building relations,” said Rau. The three-day festival see be a convergence of coffee growers, manufacturers, suppliers and entrepreneurs.