)
India's coffee production is expected to grow by 9 per cent during 2013-14 to 347,000 tonnes from last year's 318,000 tonnes.
According to data from Karnataka Planters Association (KPA) — the state’s growers account for as much as 75 per cent of India’s production — the post-blossom forecast of the Coffee Board will comprise 12.5 per cent growth in Arabica production to 111,000 tonnes and a 7.5 per cent increase in Robusta production to 236,000 tonnes.
This is despite a series of problems growers face, with productivity per hectare dropping dramatically as compared to leading growing countries such as Brazil and Vietnam. Nishant R Gurjer, chairman of Karnataka Planters Association (KPA), said Vietnam's productivity is approximately 2.6 times that of India and Brazil’s is 1.5 times. Productivity in India has declined to 748 kg a hectare from 850 kg a hectare earlier.
“We have to work with many constraints. We are still growing the crop varieties planted two generations ago and there has been no innovation on developing new crops resistant to various adverse factors,” he added.
To address this, KPA has roped in two experts from Brazil to see how Indian coffee growers can benefit. “We need crops that are to an extent resistant to many stem-borer problems and give better yields. For instance, over the past 25 years, growers in Brazil have invested heavily in research and the yield per hectare has grown by as much as three times,” Gurjer noted.
KPA members also urged the Karnataka government to rationalise depreciation rates in line with the Central Income Tax rates. “Given the shortage of fertilisers, we have requested the state government to exempt value added tax on chemicals, fertilisers, nutrients and mechanisation equipment used in agriculture,” said Gurjer.
