Kodagu grows coffee across 1197 sq km area and the district contributes to 35 per cent of the country’s coffee production.
Representational Image/ File Photo
Madikeri :
Even as the central government has released Rs 307.80 crore to the Coffee Board of India, funds have been reserved to extend subsidies to the coffee growers. In Kodagu, Rs 19.05 crore fund is reserved for the subsidy scheme and the growers can apply for the same before September 30.
Kodagu grows coffee across 1197 sq km area and the district contributes to 35 per cent of the country’s coffee production. However, the coffee growers in the district, especially the small growers, have become victims of the changing weather patterns and have incurred losses in the past.
While the Coffee Board extended subsidies to the growers through various schemes, the same ended in 2017 due to some financial implications. Nevertheless, the subsidies have resumed from last year.
In 2023-24, the Board extended subsidy for re-plantation of coffee crops and irrigation facilities including the establishment of ring wells, open wells, drip irrigation or sprinklers to all the growers alongside subsidy for construction of drying yard and godown to growers from the SC-ST category. Nevertheless, with more funds being released to the Board this year, additional subsidies are being extended to the growers from the Board.
“This year, a subsidy is being released for machinery purchase and for the establishment of a pulping unit alongside irrigation and re-plantation work. The subsidy for the establishment of a drying yard or godown has been extended to all the growers this year,” confirmed Dr V Chandrashekar, DD (Extension), Madikeri.
Further, with an aim to promote the education of the kids of the coffee labourers and workers, the Board will provide scholarships to the children of coffee labourers and coffee workers. “Scholarships will be extended to the students pursuing first PUC, first-year degree and for professional courses. The students must be children of coffee labourers or coffee workers including kids of labourers in coffee curing works,” he explained.
He added that the Rs 9.5 crore fund is reserved for subsidies for growers from the General category in the South Kodagu Gonikoppal extension. Similarly, Rs 5 lakh has been reserved for SC category growers and Rs 1 crore for ST category growers in the Gonikoppal extension. For North Kodagu growers, Rs 8.5 crore has been reserved for the subsidies. The growers eligible for the subsidies can submit an application to the Board before September 30.
The extension of the subsidy scheme is welcomed by the growers of the district even as Dr Kaverappa, former VP of the Coffee Board, urged the officials to continue the subsidies throughout the year. Meanwhile, the Coffee Board officials are conducting a joint survey alongside revenue and agricultural departments of the crop loss across heavy rainfall areas in the district and a report on the extension of the damage will be submitted to the district administration shortly.
source: http://www.newindianexpress.com / The New Indian Express / Home> Karnataka / by Prajna G R / August 28th, 2024
The Union Commerce Ministry has announced a significant boost for coffee growerswith a grant of Rs. 307.80 crore.
This aid, channelled through the Coffee Board, aims to provide much-needed support to the coffee industry in the region. It will provide coffee planters with access to subsidies for plantation development.
According to Coffee Board President Dinesh Devabrinda, the grant has increased by 36 percent compared to the previous year. In 2022-23, Rs. 228.23 crore was allocated, while in 2023-24, the amount was raised to Rs. 307.80 crore.
Package highlights
Key highlights of the aid package include subsidies for machinery and infrastructure, an education fund for workers’ children and support for coffee community initiatives.
Dinesh Devabrinda said that the eligibility criteria for subsidies have been expanded, raising the limit from 10 hectares to 40 hectares.
Coffee planters can now receive subsidies for a range of purposes, including the development of drying yards, warehouses, pulper units and coffee bean drying machines. Additionally, subsidies are available for establishing open wells, constructing tanks, installing sprinkler and drip irrigation systems, and upgrading machinery in coffee curing units.
“Our goal is to support growers by providing subsidies to increase the quantity and quality of coffee produced,” he said.
Damage survey
In collaboration with the Revenue Department, the Coffee Board will conduct a survey to assess damage to coffee plantations, with compensation to be provided to those with damage exceeding 33 percent.
To improve education for the children of coffee plantation workers, the Government has allocated Rs. 4 crore for scholarships. Additionally, 17 committees have been formed following the recent coffee community meeting to explore ways to increase coffee production.
source: http://www.starofmysore.com / Star of Mysore / Home> News / August 27th, 2024
Struggling to improve yield levels with traditional methods at his coffee plantation, Hoysala found great success with technological innovations.
Hoysala at his plantation. Credit: M.J. Prabu
Farming, especially in India, is generally considered to be a traditional field that’s averse to innovation, however M.G. Hoysala’s successful decision to quit banking for farming with the help of technological innovations, shows that keeping an open mind towards new, nontraditional cultivation techniques and interacting with experts in the field is essential for achieving farming success.
While many come into the profession unwillingly, Hoysala represents a section of people that actually wants to take on the family vocation. After spending five years working at a private bank, Hoysala came to realise the importance that the agriculture and plantation sector held for him. So he left his job and took over his father’s coffee plantation.
Since he took over, the Hoysala’s 40 acre farm in Karnataka’s Kodagu district has become a role-model of sorts for the other farms in the area.
As is common in the region, Hoysala grows Arabica coffee on his farm, but what differentiates his farming practices from the rest is the presence of tall indigenous trees that grow alongside the rows of coffee bushes, their height providing shade for the lower shrubs. Another distinguishing factor is the presence of black pepper vines that cover the trees’ trunks.
Starting off as an amateur, Hoysala initially followed the locally practiced traditional forms of cultivation. However, his lack of experience and the absence of proper guidance worsened his predicament. Disease-damaged crops, low productivity and a lack of knowledge about advanced production technologies were just some of the problems Hoysala faced when he took over the coffee plantation.
Collaborating with experts
Hoysala recalls contacting the Indian Institute of Spices Research around the same time as he started to realise that he would need technology if he wanted to stabilise his plantation’s yield level in a sustainable manner. His association with the institute started when he attended an eye-opening seminar organised by the organisation’s regional station at Madikeri, Kodagu.
That first seminar taught him about the varietal wealth of black pepper along with information on various crop production, protection and processing technologies that were being developed at the institute.
Drawing on his experiences from the banking sector, Hoysala was certain that the timely and meticulous adoption of technologies designed to aid crop production were essential to maintaining a profitable plantation.
“The productivity of vines was below the level of expectation and we could hardly harvest six tonnes from an area of 40 acres. We understood that not adopting recommended measures in time, especially to control diseases, could lead to heavy crop loss,” says Hoysala.
“Moreover, we were unaware that instituting shade regulation before the monsoon and irrigation during the summer months would improve the setting of berries and ultimately increase the yield.”
After Hoysala had established a close relationship with the regional station’s scientists, he set about addressing his plantation’s problems one by one.
Shade regulation was the first priority, followed closely by the scheduling of fertiliser, increasing organic inputs fortified with growth-promoting organisms, regularly monitoring the crops for diseases and irrigation during the summer months.
“By adopting these [new and] improved technologies, we have increased the production from six to 12 tonnes. [Which is] on average a two-fold jump within a time span of five years,” said Hoysala.
The plantation’s irrigation system was further strengthened by the construction of water harvesting structures like farm ponds and bore wells. Besides these measures, Hoysala also had pits dug between the rows of coffee plants to harvest run-off water as it also helps with enriching the soil.
The changes extend to pepper cultivation as well. Two years ago, Hoysala took ten acres of land which was used to grow ginger and transformed it into a well-designed pepper plot with silver oaks to serve as standards for the vines and robusta coffee bushes interplanted with the pepper vines.
It currently costs Hoysala a total of Rs 85,000 per acre to implement these measures along with paying the regular operational costs of running the plantation. In return, he earns Rs 1 lakh per acre per annum from the coffee and black pepper grown on the farm, allowing Hoysala to maintain the sustainable, profitable plantation he aspired to.
For further information, contact: M. G. Hoysala, Sri Siddalingeshwara Estate, Hardur P.O., Suntikoppa, Kodagu, Karnataka–571 237, mobile: 09449682430, Email: hoysala.mg@gmail
and his guide
Dr. S. J. Ankegowda, Principal Scientist and Head, ICAR-Indian Institute of Spices Research Regional Station, Hervanadu Post, Appangala, Madikeri, Karnataka – 571 201, Phone 08272 – 245451; 245514; 298574. Mobile: 09663069241, email:
source: http://www.thewire.in / The Wire / Home> Agriculture / by M J Prabu / December 29th, 2016
With coffee running in the blood lines of the family the Mother Mirra Group has owned coffee plantations for four generations.
Sundar Subramaniam, executive director of Mother Mirra Group of companies releasing their company product in Coimbatore. (Photo: DC)
Coimbatore:
His family is introduced as the ‘first Asians’ to own a plantation in Asia. Ironically, it took several years and four generations of entrepreneurs of the ‘Mother Mirra Group of Companies’ to foray into retail coffee market.
Speaking to DC, Mr. Sundar Subramaniam executive director of group said, “way back in the 1930s, my great grandfather Mr. PPR. Subramanian Chettiar owned and managed estates in Malaysia at a time when only British and Scots owned coffee plantations. Since then on, my family is in the business of supplying coffee powder and roasted beans from our estates in Coorg to different parts of India. Entering into the domestic filter coffee market is a dream come true for my father Mr. S. Subramanian, who is a third generation entrepreneur of our family.”
With Mirras Coffee the company has entered the domestic filter coffee market. Two options of coffee powder were launched in Coimbatore recently. Mirras Premium blend is a combination of 85 per cent coffee and 15 per cent chicory while the Mirras Gold variant is a combination of 53 per cent coffee and 47 per cent chicory.
Available in 200 grams sachets, for a cost that is affordable, the traditional filter coffee tastes just like home-made coffee, sticking to the tag line of the product ‘idhu namma veetu kaapi’.
The product is available across big and small stores and supermarkets across the city. The firm has a strong dealership network in Tamil Nadu and Puducherry. “We have partnered with 350 dealers across both the regions. In a year’s time we are hopeful of capturing 3.50 per cent to 4 per cent of the filter coffee market,” Mr. Sundar Subramaniam said.
The company already has a strong market hold in the wholesale filter coffee market segment with regular consignments of their coffee powder delivered across India.
Karnataka and Tamil Nadu is where the company does thriving business. The coffee is customized for their wholesale clients.
source: http://www.deccanchronicle.com / Deccan Chronicle / Home> Nation / by Lakshmi L Lund / April 08th, 2018
Meet Rani, a resilient woman from Heravanadu, a quaint village nestled in Kodagu’s Madikeri taluk, steeped in the rich history of Mysore’s royal legacy.
A century ago, Heravanadu’s origins were intertwined with the grandeur of Mysore’s royal legacy. The founding families arrived here at the behest of the Mysore king, tasked with caring for the royal horses. When the king eventually left, he granted them the very lands they had nurtured. Thus began the saga of Heravanadu’s small coffee planters and laborers.
Starting as laborers in the fields, they gradually transitioned to cultivating their own land, primarily focusing on coffee. Today, there are approximately 25 coffee farmers in the village, each owning plots of land ranging from 2023 square meters to 8094 square meters.
Rani HP embarked on her journey in Heravanadu as a young bride with hopes and dreams. However, tragedy struck when her husband expired, leaving her with the responsibility of raising their three children and only 8094 square meters of land.
Determined to secure a future for her family, Rani initially worked as a daily wage laborer. Seeking guidance, she turned to the Dharmasthala Sangha (SSG), where she received invaluable support from other women. With their assistance, Rani transformed her barren land into a flourishing coffee plantation over two decades of hard work and dedication.
As the coffee market evolved, so did Rani’s fortunes. From humble beginnings, she now commands a respectable price for her coffee beans, thanks to her expertise and perseverance. The turning point came when Anandana, The Coca-Cola India Foundation spearheading the Unnati coffee project in Coorg, and ISWAR, an NGO, recognized her dedication and offered support to Heravanadu.
Anandana, The Coca-Cola India Foundation, and ISWAR’s collaborative assistance were instrumental in providing specialized training, modern techniques in coffee plantations, and sustainable farming practices to Rani and her fellow farmers. As a result, Rani embodied the true essence of Coca-Cola India’s #SheTheDifference women empowerment campaign, which aims to uplift and empower rural women farmers and entrepreneurs like her.
Recognizing her leadership qualities, Rani was appointed as a board director for the Madikeri Highlands Farmers Producers Company Limited (FPO), launched by ISWAR in Coorg.
Rani’s story epitomizes the collective strength of Heravanadu’s community. With the unwavering support of her fellow villagers and her resilience, she transformed adversity into opportunity. Today, as she tends to her coffee plantation and manages her small coffee shop, Rani stands as an inspiration, showcasing how dedication and community support can lead to success.
Her legacy extends to her son, Raghu, who now manages her plantation and household. Inspired by his mother’s perseverance, Raghu actively participates in the affairs of the FPO, embodying the spirit of hard work and dedication passed down through generations.
source: http://www.businessnewsthisweek.com / Business News This Week / Home> Business / by Mansi )Praharaj / June 14th, 2024
Students from the Laurus Institute for Logistics in Kalamassery said, inspired by the popularity of green tea, they came out with green coffee powder, as part of a project at their institute.
Organic green coffee beans- representational image (iStock)
‘Green tea’ has been a favourite drink of health-conscious people for quite some time, but what about making ‘green coffee’ popular? A group of Kerala students has now developed a new variety of health-friendly green coffee powder.
Students from the Laurus Institute for Logistics in Kalamassery said, inspired by the popularity of green tea, they came out with green coffee powder, as part of a project at their institute. This new drink aims to cater to the growing demand for healthy options and capitalise on the increasing focus on health and wellness, they said.
Rich in antioxidants, green coffee boosts metabolism and helps reduce diabetes, cholesterol, blood pressure, and weight, the students claimed. They also received a certificate from the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) for the product.
Despite the widespread popularity of green tea, the students admitted that developing a new brand of green coffee powder was a significant challenge.
Developing green coffee powder
It was the 2020 batch of the institute that recognised the benefits of green coffee. The 30-member batch split into different groups and explored various concepts before settling on green coffee.
A 10-member team was interested in making FMCG products, and they considered tea and coffee due to their global popularity. Abhijith MV, a member of the project team, said they unexpectedly discovered green coffee beans while they were in Palakkad seeking the best suppliers.
He said that although they sampled many other ready-made coffee powders, their focus remained on developing green coffee powder, which is not widely known.
The supplier mentioned that sun-dried green coffee pods were not in high demand, but the students were keen to learn about green coffee, Ajay Sankar, chairman of the institute, said.
“They brought the overlooked green coffee beans from Coorg and Palakkad to Kalamassery. In the second phase, they experimented by grinding the beans into different sizes,” Sankar said.
Multiple laboratory tests were conducted to determine the shelf life of the product, and finally, they decided to grind Arabica coffee beans into small granules and pack them.
The many health benefits
Despite its many health benefits, the taste of green coffee was not particularly appealing, which concerned the students, the institute said in a statement. Attempts to enhance the flavour with mint, cardamom, rose, and so on were abandoned as they reduced the shelf life of green coffee to six months, it said.
The students admitted that though ‘Laurus Nature’s Green Coffee’ was showcased to health clubs, gyms, medical shops, business groups and so on, their initial response was not positive. Eventually, customers were found by meeting each other personally and explaining the benefits of green coffee.
The students are now motivated by the fact that customers continue to buy it after experiencing the benefits from at least two packs, the chairman added.
Though the project was started by the 2020 batch, the green coffee project has been passed on to subsequent batches. Students continue to improve ‘Laurus Nature’s Green Coffee’ through ongoing research, he added.
(Disclaimer: The headline, subheads, and intro of this report along with the photos may have been reworked by South First. The rest of the content is from a syndicated feed, and has been edited for style.)
source: http://www.thesouthfirst.com / The South First / Home> Kerala / by PTI / May 27th, 2024
The five-day Barista training workshop, organised by the Coffee Quality Division of Coffee Board of India in collaboration with CFTRI, Mysuru, will be held from June 24 to 28 at the BioNEST Incubation Centre at CFTRI premises in city.
Training in brewing coffee, cupping, manual brewing, signature beverage, introduction to green coffee etc., will be conducted.
Those who undergo the training successfully will be provided certificates.
For details and registration, call Mob: 94821-57878 or e-mail: baristatraining.coffeeboard@gmail.com
source: http://www.starofmysore.com / Star of Mysore / Home> In Briefs / June 04th, 2024
India’s High Range Coffee Curing is poised to become the first farm verified by the Rainforest Alliance to ship EUDR–ready coffee beans to Europe later this month.
The coffee farm partnered with the Rainforest Alliance to meet the necessary compliance requirements of the regulation.
Established in 1995, High Range Coffee Curing is located in the Periyapatna and Kushalnagar Coorg districts, among 142 hectares of tropical forests, and is known for its quality beans.
The farm supplies coffee to leading global coffee brands, roasters and traders in India, including Nestle , Unilever, E-Com Commodities, Olam, Continental Coffee, Louis Dreyfus Company , Vidya Coffee and Allanasons.
EUDR-Ready Coffee
Zaidan M Saly, director of High Range Coffee Curing stated, “Implementing EUDR [EU Deforestation Regulation] posed significant challenges for our team, but with the invaluable guidance from Rainforest Alliance representatives in our region, we overcame them and gained confidence in the process.
“Their expertise made the seemingly daunting task entirely feasible, facilitating a smooth and successful implementation, which now not only guarantees adherence to EUDR regulations but also sparked a revolution in our approach to traceability.”
Rainforest Alliance certification enables coffee and cocoa farmers to opt in for EUDR-aligned criteria.
This allows companies to source from these farms, track ingredients along their supply chains, and leverage farm data to demonstrate compliance with the regulation’s deforestation risk assessment and mitigation requirements by the deadline, at no additional cost.
‘Sustainable Practices’
Miguel Gamboa, coffee sector lead at the Rainforest Alliance stated, “The EUDR represents an important step forward to shift the global coffee sector towards more sustainable practices.
“Yet, many smallholder coffee farmers need support to align with the requirements, including traceability, deforestation risk mapping, local laws, and practical and technical guidance on key environmental practices.”
The Rainforest Alliance has urged the EU Commission not to dilute or delay the legislation or postpone its deadline in response to calls from some companies and governments.
It has also called on companies not to scale back purchases from smallholder coffee farmers, but rather support them in meeting the deadline of this legislation.
Gamboa added, “We are also piloting a deforestation risk assessment offering for companies buying non-certified coffee and cocoa, which we plan to roll out more widely later this year.
“With this offering, we aim to support more companies in their journey to compliance, but more importantly, to also reach non-certified farmers so their products can still be sold on the EU market.”
source: http://www.esmagazine.com / ESM, European Supermarket Magazine / Home> Supply Chain / by Dayeeta Das / May 06th, 2024
I’m from Coorg, also known as Kodagu. It’s a small, beautiful district in Karnataka (which is in South India). Last month, I had the pleasure of going back there for a few days after a rather long absence. Among many other things, it provided me an opportunity to learn about how the coffee growing works from the perspective of a business. The last few years, have been very difficult for the coffee industry in Coorg.
Many of my relatives are involved in growing coffee and most of what I want to discuss here is likely familiar knowledge to most planters. My primary aim with this article is to organize knowledge that many people already have in their heads — and in doing so make the problem of raising revenue for coffee growers easier to tackle.
Furthermore, I’m by no means an expert in this. Please feel free to comment or respond to me with any critique of the ideas outlined here.
The Obvious Problem, and its implications
The obvious problem is simple. Coffee prices are low, and labour cost is increasing so it is difficult to make profit. On average, the estates just about break even (this is anecdotal, I don’t have stats for it if anyone does, please get in touch!). Many people rely on the one bumper crop every 7 or 8 years in order to build savings and capital to reinvest into the estate.
Naturally, this means that there is a spread — some estates make losses, some make profits. People who make losses end up having to sell their estates and this is slowly leading to a dilution of the culture in Coorg, which from my personal perspective, is a very sad thing.
Today, increasing the profit for planters is an issue that many people are trying to tackle both individually as well as in small groups. There are many ways to increase profits available to planters. The large categories are as follows:
Increase Quality
Eg: Improving the percentage of high quality beans.
Increase Yield per Acre
Eg: Reduce loss of produce to pests etc.
Reduce operating costs
Eg: Use either better practices or investment in technology to reduce cost of growing coffee in all stages.
Improve marketing and go direct to consumer
Eg: Sell coffee on Amazon and advertise on Facebook
Of these, I believe the area which could produce the best results is to improve marketing and go direct to consumer i.e. currently there is a knowledge gap that is preventing planters from getting good prices for their crops, and this is the root issue.
To explain why, we need to visually organize a coffee business and discuss the impacts of each possible way to increase profit.
Deciding on the correct course of action
Let’s go through each one.
Increasing Quality
The hypothesis here is “increasing the quality of coffee produced is the best way to increase profit”.
Of course better coffee will fetch better prices. Also, no matter what other actions are taken, coffee will need to be at least a threshold quality because of how it connects to “reputation”. Soomanna from HumbleBeanCoffee was kind enough to tell me about how important it is to keep abreast with increasing global standards of coffee, stagnation here has a lot of downside risk and is definitely important to focus on, and they’re doing an amazing job from what I can tell.
It’s also true that the taste of coffee is highly subjective and it’s my opinion that there may be a consensus on what “bad coffee” is, but the “best coffee” has no right answer. So the way I see it right now, investing on improving quality is likely to have diminishing returns after a point — where based only on quality alone (and not also other actions) it will take more and more effort (and hence cost) to continue to increase quality. There’s a point when you are already making very good coffee where you should start seeing diminishing returns on further investment if this is not paired with marketing.
Increasing Yield per Acre (increase quantity)
The hypothesis here is “increasing the yield per acre of the estate is the best way to increase profit”.
Similarly to quality, again we have a situation where it will cost increasingly more, and at some point just be impossible to increase yield per acre significantly.
It’s likely that this will require significant capital to even begin tackling (especially on the route of automation and machinery).
If better practices are easy to implement, then they should definitely be put in place — but we still run up against this wall that at some point the costs are just not going to reduce any further.
Marketing and branding
Many people are already taking initiative to improve marketing and in some cases even sell directly to customers. This is possible now because targeted online advertisements have reduced the upfront investment required to reach out to people who are interested in coffee specifically. Indeed, I came across several Indian coffee brands where previously only Coffee Day seemed to exist.
To be clear, there some hurdles to get through in order to successfully do this, because it requires getting into aspects of the coffee supply chain.
Improving knowledge on how to properly roast, package, and deliver
Having enough scale to actually benefit from the increased reach
However, the upside is also very great. Here’s how one can generally expect marketing to impact sales.
It’s important to mention again that basic quality standards must also be in place — marketing coffee that doesn’t taste good might get an initial wave of customers, but people aren’t going to keep buying it.
In my personal opinion, the marketing solution is very underutilized in Coorg right now. Part of it is possibly because the younger Coorgs who have experience in digital marketing and the like, aren’t currently very involved in coffee.
A Way Forward
Ideal goals and reality are different, but my personal experience is that setting lofty and idealistic goals is a great way to start looking for solutions. So I’m going to try to paint that ideal picture and if it makes sense then perhaps we can try to move toward it. Even if it doesn’t work out completely, hopefully the idea can leave us better off than where we are today.
Coorg is a district of great pride and heritage. Given the right contexts, Coorgs can be very passionate about this: just look at the Hockey Festival!
Can we create a similar excitement about Coffee? That sort of passion is what comes before great successes.
Coming together as a community behind the shared banner of “Coorg Coffee” can allow us to reap the greatest reward from any marketing and branding effort. To create a competitive vibe like the Hockey Festival we could do something similar like having multiple family-blends where many estates from the same family pool together to create their own unique blend. This could then be sold in a packing like this which allows both unified brand identity as well as individual expression.
To top it all off, having a yearly Kodava Coffee Festival would certainly keep people awake with excitement.
Coming together as a community to create an image for Coorg Coffee, and a process to back it can overcome the main challenges. Sharing knowledge within the community gives us a larger base to experiment and hence improve processes we use for things like roasting. Delivering the coffee under a shared brand allows us to overcome the limits on quantity that small estates have if they try to market individually.
I must restate: I’m no expert in coffee. There will be innumerable challenges on this road, many of which you have faced and know far better than I do. However, if we could come together as a community with the goal of making coffee growing more lucrative for the whole district, I’m sure we would meet with more success than having multiple disparate efforts to do the same.
Do comment! I know a lot of people feel strongly about this. It would be amazing if there was a healthy discussion in the comments!
source: http://www.medium.com / Medium.com / Home / by Sharat Chinnapa / published in The HumAln Blog / May 23rd, 2021
Growing up on a coffee plantation in South India, I have been exposed to the coffee-growing community my whole life. Now, as a third-generation coffee farmer, my aim is to create a coffee plantation that uses generational knowledge of coffee production and adopt new techniques to create coffee that is unique and eco-friendly. Below, I will try and detail out the learnings that I have gained first-hand and also share my understanding of what the future holds for the growers of the most consumed product around the world — coffee.
Coffee was introduced to India about 400 years ago and may have been planted first under the shade of forest trees on the Chandragiri Hills in Chikmagalur district, Karnataka. A typical South Indian coffee estate is a micro eco-system by itself and is grown very differently than in high-producing coffee nations like Colombia and Brazil. The big difference is ‘shade’ and in South India, shade is aplenty with a large number of indigenous trees and shrubs. Plenty of coffee farmers here choose to grow coffee under shade due to the numerous benefits that come from it and also the staggeringly high costs of shade-lopping (essentially chopping the canopy of a tree). Studies suggest that shaded coffee is more natural and eco-friendly and significantly reduces the number of pests, especially the infamous coffee berry borer. However, on the ground, the yield per acre for coffee grown under shade is significantly lower compared to its counterpart.
Shaded Coffee Plantation
Fungai growth indicating a healthy ecosystem.
There are three primary varieties of coffee plants that we deal with in South India. Arabica coffee (Coffee Arabica) plants are typically small in size and are very delicate and require a fair amount of pruning and constant attention. Arabica coffee is the most common coffee plant and usually has a sweeter, more delicate flavour and is usually less acidic. The second variety is Robusta coffee (Coffee Canephora) which I am most familiar with due to a large number of robusta plants in my family’s estate. This coffee is most common in Europe, Middle East, and Africa and is known for its strong and often harsh flavour profile. The robusta plants are far more robust than compared arabica plants and are less susceptible to diseases. Although the taste is not as popular as the arabica coffee, I believe that shade-grown robusta coffee is just in the beginning of its journey and the multitude of flavour profiles being created will lead to it being as popular as Arabica coffee in the future. Lastly, we have Liberica, often known as tree coffee due to the plant growing akin to a tree. They grow in specific climates and production of this type of coffee is not high. The beans however are considered a rare treat, with many who’ve tried the coffee liken the aroma to fruit and flowers and having a woody/earthy taste. More details on the types of varieties can be found here.
Image is taken from slurp.coffee
What does the future hold?
From a coffee grower’s perspective, the future of coffee is filled with potential and pitfalls and from first glance, there are plenty more pitfalls than potential. For instance, in India, coffee prices have been stagnant for a number of years, and post COVID, coffee prices are set to fall more. The drastic change in weather patterns is also significantly harming coffee production. Shortage of labour has become a big issue as predicted with estates having as little as 3 labourers for over 100 acres of coffee estate.
I do want to point out, however, that there have been some innovative and crafty methods that have been implemented in our ecosystem to continue sustainable & profitable coffee. Movement into making quality over quantity has significantly increased revenues for coffee farmers. Inter-cropping has diversified revenues and the increasing use of technology has increased yield and better supply chain management. I will highlight all of the solutions further below.
Coffee drying yard
Movement from Quantity to Quality
With our labour shortage, we are unable to adequately produce high yields of coffee consistently over the years. In order to compensate for lower yields, we turned to increase the quality of our coffee beans in smaller areas of our estate. This allows for the smaller quantities of good grade coffee at a higher price and increases our revenues. Operating in smaller acreage allows for a more careful process of coffee growing and allowing for specific interventions to take place. For instance, we are able to prune coffee plants better, provide them adequate sunlight, increase water access when required, and even tailor fertilizers to individual plants.
The aim is to create micro-lots (small blocks) of coffee that have a variety of flavour profiles. This will help with the process of marketing it a certain way as well, which we believe will increase the value of the coffee. The overall plan is to have micro-lots produce coffee that is unique and marketable and achieve a price that matches the production of the remaining coffee-producing estate.
Inter-Cropping
Another key method that we plan to use to diversify our revenues is by inter-cropping. We chose crops that complement coffee plantations and some of our successful interventions are pomelos, oranges, bananas, and avocados. One of the most productive crops that compliments coffee estates is pepper and it grows well with the indigenous trees that are present (not all trees work well, however). These trees provide vital ecological diversity and have very low maintenance and provide vital mulch that replenishes the soil and adds to the well-being of the coffee plantation.
Cash crops like paddy are also grown in low-lying areas but these require more financial and capital investments. We primarily grow to consume-in-house and not to make a profit. Small-holding farmers can benefit from inter-cropping much more than large land holding farmers and scientific interventions like maintaining soil quality, water quality & supply can drastically improve revenues made from a coffee plantation.
Agri-Tech
Agri-technology has grown leaps and bounds over the last decade. We have seen newer machinery, better weather management systems, and significant improvements in machinery for hulling, pulping, and roasting. However, on the ground, all these machines are still labour-intensive and are often out of reach to smallholding coffee farmers.
The most exciting improvement in the technology front comes with blockchains. Blockchain technology is redefining the coffee supply chain to increase transparency, efficiency, and win-win economic transactions that can help rectify the financial benefits of coffee production. Blockchain in the coffee supply chain is helping growers see where their beans end up and enables consumers to see where their coffee comes from. This technology can help ensure that growers are given fair payments for their crops and are maintaining sustainability practices. And it can allow consumers to make more informed decisions about where they should purchase their coffee.
The coffee board of India has already taken steps towards this, but this transition is still a couple of years away. The question is not any more an ‘if’, but instead of a ‘when’ blockchain technology will have an influence on coffee farmers.
Conclusion
India has seen a rise in coffee drinkers and the eco-system is full of new generation planters, coffee-roasters, and conscious consumers. Solutions are abundant with changing climates & markets and there is good enough reason to believe that Indian coffee will have its say in the global market very soon. Newer policy changes are required however and planters will be required to be more agile and adept with the variety of changing components in the ecosystem. However, newer methods and research into coffee production are trickling down and coupled with local knowledge, we should see a highly diverse coffee market within India in the next 10 to 15 years.
P.S — This was a very brief attempt to put down by recent learnings on paper. I will continue to edit this post based on newer and relevant findings. Until then, I will be sharing information on the coffee environment and things I find interesting on my Twitter — @aiyannabelly.
source: http://www.aiyannabelliappa.medium.com / Medium.com / Home / by Aiyanna Belliappa / June 17th, 2021
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