Coffee plants have been found to grow well in Hasanur and Thalavadi belt and in some locations on Kadambur hills in the district.

The plants raised in some of the hamlets are productive and bearing good beans. But, there is no plantation as such on the hills. An experimentation made earlier on a leased land on Sathy hills has not succeeded.

Cultivation of coffee as commercial crop will be quite remunerative, but there is limited scope for large-scale cultivation. Coffee is, by and large, being cultivated in the backyards for self-consumption, Head of MYRADA Krishi Vigyan Kendra Alagesan said.

The Sathy hills have the ideal altitude of 1,000 to 1,500 metres for growing coffee. But, rainfall is not sufficient. Against the annual rainfall requirement is 1600 to 2,500 mm, the realisation is much lesser. The annual rainfall is only around 700 mm in the district, though it is considerably higher on the hilly parts. Yet, the rainfall is far from sufficient for coffee cultivation, farmers on the hills say. Nevertheless, a few farmers in Malliammman Durgam hamlet on the Kadambur hills have plans to get beyond backyard cultivation. They now look for the right support system, Ramasamy, a progressive farmer in Kadambur area said.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> National> Tamil Nadu / by Special Correspondent / Erode – July 13th, 2016