Bengaluru (UNI):

Subsidies to planters from the government might not be renewed and Coffee planters need to look inward and adopt to newer technologies and strategies to enhance the quality and quantity of Indian Coffee, Srivatsa Krishna, CEO and Secretary of the Coffee Board said on Thursday.

Speaking at the plenary session of the India International Coffee Festival (IICF) here, he said the Board had recommended continuation of only two types of subsidies to the sector and it was up to the government to approve them or not.

He said that the Coffee Board is making every effort to enhance both production and quality of Indian Coffee. But the planters need to embrace innovative methods and information technology for their own well being and should reduce dependence on the government.

Mr Krishna said the Karnataka government had also initiated inquiry into allegations of coffee planters encroaching government and forest land to increase their acreage.

He said that the Coffee Board will initiate a branding exercise for Coffee in the second quarter of 2018. It had held consultations with some top branding companies and highlighted the need for securing GI tag for some specific premium brand of Coffee to ensure that the Indian Coffee is known world over.

The Coffee Board Secretary said considerable efforts have been made to enhance the productivity of coffee from 500 kg per hectare to one tonne per hectare, but still more inclusive approaches should be taken by the planters to further increase the productivity and go in for premium coffees to enhance exports.

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source: http://www.uniindia.com / UNI, United News of India / Home> Business Economy / Bengaluru – January 18th, 2018