Category Archives: Coffee, Kodagu (Coorg)

Indian delegation promotes coffees in Canada

March 25, 2019Business & Economy, Coffee News, Coffee, Kodagu (Coorg), World Opinionadmin

Delegation visits Classic Gourmet Coffee, Vaughan

The Coffee Board of India, Ministry of Commerce & lndustry, Govt. of India in association with The Consulate General of India, Toronto organized a special program to promote coffees of India and to facilitate Indian coffee trade. The Indian Delegation comprised of executives from the Coffee Board of India, key exporters, coffee roasters and a coffee planter.

Coffee occupies a place of pride among plantation crops grown in India. India ranks seventh in global coffee production with an annual average profusion of around 320,000 tons contributing to approx. 3.5% of global production and stands at the fifth position in terms of exports contributing to 5% of the global coffee trade. Indian Robustas are perceived to be the best in the world and high-elevation shade-grown Indian Arabicas are sought after as premium eco-friendly coffees. Canada is one of the major importers and consumers of coffee, and imports around 350,000 tons of coffee annually. However, India’s share in this high-value coffee import market in Canada is quite negligible.

The composite delegation led by Mr. Srivatsa Krishna, lAS, CEO & Secretary, Coffee Board of India met with Canadian regulatory officials and Canadian business community on March 11, 2019 at the Indian Consulate in Toronto. The Consul general of India, Mr. Dinesh Bhatia and CEO of Coffee Board of India, Mr. Srivatsa Krishna opened the program by addressing delegates and guests.

The program included an in depth presentation on ‘coffees of India’ followed by a coffee cupping session and exclusive one-to-one interactions with top coffee manufacturers and key stakeholders from the coffee industry of India. On the following day, March 12, delegates Dr. Mandappa I.M (Coffee Quality Specialist, Coffee Board), Shri. N.N. Narendra (Director of Finance, Coffee Board), Mr. V.E Ovian (Director, Indcaffe), Mr. Kaashif Asghar (Managing Partner, The Aldur Group) and key Indian traders met up with Indo Canadian Chamber of Commerce, South Indian Business Community and prominent Canadian coffee business giants in order to create inroads for Indian coffees with the prime objective to benefit all stakeholders including Indian coffee traders, roasters and farmers. -CINEWS

source: http://www.canindia.com / Can India / Home> Community / by CanIndia News Online Edition / March 22nd, 2019

Bopanna’s Master Blend: Tennis & Coffee

March 22, 2019Business & Economy, Coffee News, Coffee, Kodagu (Coorg), Famous Personalities of Kodagu / Coorg, Leaders, Records, All, Sports, World Opinionadmin

© Rohan Bopanna Rohan Bopanna has his own blend of The Flying Squirrel Coffee called 'Rohan Bopanna's Master Blend — © Rohan Bopanna
Rohan Bopanna has his own blend of The Flying Squirrel Coffee called ‘Rohan Bopanna’s Master Blend

Learn about Bopanna’s off-court success

Rohan Bopanna has served plenty of aces in his career. But the Indian doubles star also serves something else on the ATP Tour: coffee expertise.

“When I go to the tournaments, everybody comes to me and says, “Rohan, this is bad coffee!’ Bopanna said, cracking a laugh. “I say, ‘I’m sorry but I can’t do anything with it’!”

Bopanna is more than just a coffee connoisseur. The 39-year-old, currently No. 36 in the ATP Doubles Rankings, has his own line of The Flying Squirrel coffee: Rohan Bopanna’s Master Blend.

“To be honest, the coffee came first, before my tennis. That’s something which has been part of the family. We grow coffee, hence the coffee love came,” Bopanna said. “I’ve been through the whole process of how it works, how the plants grow. Now I’m learning so much more about getting the right blend, roasting the coffee and everything from the past three years. But the growing part I’ve always known how to grow the coffee and all of that goes back to my childhood.”

Bopanna’s family estate, home of their coffee plantation, is in Coorg, a district in the state of Karnataka, in southwest India. When the former No. 3 doubles player in the world was growing up, his father had not started a coffee company — they simply sold beans to those who were interested in buying. But nevertheless, it’s been a part of his life as long as he can remember.

“Me being the only son, I feel there is an opportunity for me to go back whenever I’m done [with tennis] to take care of that plantation,” Bopanna said. “This [venture] was something added on, something different and yes, of course, I would love to still be very much part of it. One of the reasons I started now is that with tennis, obviously [my life] as a player is going to end one day. There’s something more to look for and coffee’s been a pure love from the beginning, so why not continue with it?”

Not only does Bopanna get to share his work with other players on the ATP Tour, but by travelling the world, he gets to try different blends every week. The 18-time tour-level titlist does bring his own beans and filter on the road with him, though.

“Tennis takes us to some beautiful cities, where automatically I get to taste all the greatest coffees,” Bopanna said. “Australia has some great coffee places. Even last week I was in Phoenix, Arizona. I was in the old town of Scottsdale and that had exceptional coffee places at the different cafes.

“Tennis has given me an opportunity to taste different coffees and hopefully take that experience to improve Indian coffee more.”

While it is as catchy as hot shots you see on the court, one may wonder where the name of the company — ‘The Flying Squirrel’ — came from.

“The family friend who I tied up with, at the estate, we have flying squirrels there,” Bopanna said. “When I started my blend, I thought the best way was to tie [my line] up with his [brand] since they already have the roasters and everything… to start everything from scratch would have been tough, hence the name ‘The Flying Squirrel’.”

While Bopanna takes his coffee seriously, he’s certainly not done on the court yet. At this week’s Miami Open presented by Itau, Bopanna is competing alongside #NextGenATP Canadian Denis Shapovalov. The Indian also played with Shapovalov at the BNP Paribas Open in Indian Wells.

“The idea is to obviously try and do well in these big tournaments, big Masters series events. That’s the key,” Bopanna said. “I’m at a stage that when I play these tournaments, I’m looking to obviously do well and try to win the tournament. You’ve been on the [ATP] Tour for such a long time. You know every player out there, you know what to expect and you’re going there to try to win the tournament.”

As Bopanna continues to try to make his mark on the court, he’s trying to win over his colleagues’ taste buds, too.

“Indian coffee I feel has really grown in a big way in India and I feel we can really bring it out to the world to try to experience it. I feel the best way for me is to try to use my tennis platform to give a lot of my homegrown coffee to all the tennis players who love coffee,” Bopanna said. “I’ve gotten great feedback from all these players who have tried it and enjoyed it so far. It’s something very, very different, and I enjoy doing it.”

source: http://www.atptour,com / ATP Tour / Home> News / by Andrew Eichenholz / March 22nd, 2019

Smell the coffee and spirituality at Coorg

March 10, 2019Agriculture, Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Coffee, Kodagu (Coorg), Nature, Records, All, World Opinionadmin

Jaggery coffee may not be your cup of tea but expect the brown brew to be presented as a welcome drink at a resort in the middle of a large coffee plantation, such as the Cottabetta bungalow in Pollibetta, Coorg, south Karnataka. Nearly 130 years old, this plantation resort was once the residence of British planters. Owned by the Tatas now, it consists of a Kerala-style house with the bedrooms around the inner courtyard, offering the old-world charm and comfort.

On the hillsides, a dense forest of short and stunted trees bearing this exotic berry, in the shadow of the taller trees on which pepper creepers climb high, abounds. The soil here is good for a host of other spices, too. That’s what the traders from the west came looking for, and then settled down to rule our country.

A tour of this particular plantation gives an insight into the process of producing coffee. According to a tour guide, Udhav, a coffee plant starts yielding berries after seven years, and then goes on doing it for over 75 years. Initially the berries are red, but turn brown once they go through several stages of drying, pulping, roasting and grinding before landing on our tables as the brew with a heady aroma. Robusta is the variety that grows here. It’s the favourite of the elephants, too. Most plantations are surrounded by an electric fence to protect them from pachyderms (animals like elephants, hippopotamus and rhinoceros) but, says Udhav, “sometimes they find out how to switch it off. Generally, it is the matriarch of the herd who knows how”!

Monastery

In another direction from Madikeri, about five kilometres off the Bangalore road, lies a Buddhist monastery, Namdroling. This seminary imparts education in the Nyingmapa tradition of Buddhism. Over 3,000 students from the primary to postgraduate level, from the Himalayan regions and abroad, “chant and study, work and practice” here. His Holiness Penor Rinpoche set up this monastery in 1963.

He “attained Mahaparinirvana” in 2009. The Dalai Lama consecrated it and christened it as Namdroling, though its full name is Thegchog Namdrol Shedrub Dargyeling (Land of increasing practice and teaching of the utmost yana that achieves spontaneous liberation). The centre is also known as the Golden Temple because of the three 40-feet high, gilded statues of the Buddhist icons. The entire complex has been elaborately decorated with the Tibetan-style paintings, murals and religious figures. Bylakuppe, a small town where this is located, is a far cry from Tibet in terms of climate and culture but it houses the second largest Tibetan settlement after Dharamsala.

Around 40km from Madikeri is Talakaveri, on the Brahmagiri hill, the source of the Kaveri river. A tank marks the source of the river, and a nearby temple is a popular place for pilgrimage. Not too far from Madikeri lies the Dubare elephant camp. It is located on the banks of Kaveri. Apart from watching big animals, one can do some still-river rafting close by. The best time to visit Coorg is soon after the rains when water cascades down the falls and mist rises up to shroud the mountains. Perhaps, that’s why it’s also known as the Scotland of India.

source: http://www.tribuneindia.com / The Tribune / Home> Spectrum> Travel / by Lalit Mohan / March 10th, 2019

Civet Coffee From Coorg: Rich Man’s Dream Coffee !

February 5, 2019Coffee, Kodagu (Coorg), World Opinionadmin

I had heard of people taking their pet dogs for walk in the parks, roads or footpaths for exercise. Also to prevent the animal from committing nuisance, easing itself, at the owner’s house with eyeful of its poop. I also see these dog-walkers daily in my area walking back with a wry smile once the dog does with its pooping, squatting on its hind legs. The poop would lie as a heap on the lawn of the park, walk-way or on the footpath for the unwary morning walkers like me to stamp on, grimace, curse the owners of the dog and move on…

It was in 1992 at the famous Central Park, New York, I was amused to see people armed with a bag and a scoop walk around with their dogs. It was around noon and I was surprised. I made a gentle enquiry with my friend M.P. Prabhakaran, a local resident. In his typical and critical way he said, “Americans are a different species and they often do things differently. You would not be surprised if you find them here at midnight with their pets, the dog, the bag to collect the poop and the scoop. By the way, did you find anywhere in the park any poop fresh or dried ? No. That’s America…”

Before he could denigrate India I interrupted, “That’s why you left India. But where is your dog?” I guffawed.

If the pet-dog’s poop is to be despised and discarded, there is another animal’s poop that is sought after specially in places where coffee plantations are found. My friend N. Raghavan of the pharmacy Raghulal & Co., who keeps sending medicines for my family regularly, last night sent me a packet with an amusing note, “For your use only.” With apologies to James Bond, ‘For your eyes only.’ It was not medicine. Rather a surprise packet. It was Wild Civet Coffee. Wonder, why the word ‘wild’? After all, civet cats are wild. Never domesticated. Let it be.

I have been reading about this super-special civet coffee quite for a few years now though not seen or tasted. Now thanks to Raghavan. Since a few years I have been looking for this animal or its shit with coffee seeds submerged in it in my own plantation at Kutta, Kodagu, without luck. This animal looks like a cat with a long fluffy tail (see pic.) and is both carnivorous and herbivorous found in Central Africa, Indonesia and also in other parts of the world and in Karnataka. In the coffee season they eat ripened coffee fruits (cherry or berries) and poop out the seeds that don’t digest. Civet coffee is the coffee seeds that civet cats excrete after consuming the fleshy berries. An enzyme present in the nocturnal animal’s gut and also in the anal glands produces a strong musky perfume.

Raghavan tells me that a Kodagu planter, Thamoo Poovaiah, is producing this Civet Coffee and marketing it through his partnership firm Coorg Consolidated Commodities (CCC).

There seems to be two issues being discussed about this unique coffee. One, its cost. As much as Rs. 25,000 per kg in foreign market. Real crazy. While it is Rs. 900 for 100 gms of Civet Coffee, it is Rs. 30 for 100 gms of regular coffee available in the market.

Two, cruelty to the animal. It seems civet cats are caught and caged so that they could be fed with coffee berries and collect the poops in plenty. The second allegation is being rubbished by Poovaiah as not true. Of course, NOT in Kodagu. It is obvious more the population of these civet cats, the more Civet Coffee for people like Poovaiah.

Many years ago, I had been to William Shakespeare’s birthplace, Stratford-upon-Avon in England and took a walk along the road in front of Shakespeare’s house. I was surprised to find many shops selling coffee seeds — raw and roasted — and, of course, powder. Each variety was branded, like ‘Mountain Grown Colombian Coffee’, ‘Kenya Special Coffee’, Vietnam etc. But I could not find India’s name anywhere.

In 1950s and 1960s I used to see a display publicity board kept in Coffee Houses at Bengaluru. The board had the image of an old man in typical North-Indian attire with a Hindu religious mark on the forehead and a long white beard along with a steaming hot cup of coffee. The text simply read: “Both are Indian.” Gone are those days of coffee and the way it was promoted…

Now we have Civet Coffee. Good luck to Thamoo Poovaiah and dear Raghu. Enjoy this non-vegetarian coffee with the strong musky perfume hitting your nostrils !!

source: http://www.starofmysore.com / Star of Mysore / Home> Columns> Abracadabra / by K.B. Ganapathy / February 04th, 2019 /
Em: kbg@starofmysore.com

‘Excellence is taking pride, being best in work’

January 30, 2019Business & Economy, Coffee News, Coffee, Kodagu (Coorg), Education, Records, All, World Opinionadmin

Athlete Vandana Rao was felicitated at the valedictory function of Besant centenary celebrations organised at Dr T M A Pai International Convention Centre in Mangaluru on Saturday.

Bengaluru-based Coffeelab Limited President Sunalini N Menon stressed on Saturday that excellence is taking pride in work and being the best at the work.

She was speaking at the valedictory function of the Besant centenary celebrations organised by Women’s National Education Society (WNES) at Dr T M A Pai International Convention Centre here.

She said, “Nobody remembers how fast the job was done, but how well the job was done. Whether be it washing utensils in the kitchen or sweeping the floor, being the best in your work is a self-portrait of what you are and the best insurance in the future for a job,” Sunalini said.

She said creativity and eye for detail are a must for the perfect execution of goals.

Sunalini, reflecting on her four decades of experience as a coffee taster, described the coffee tasting as a fascinating journey. “It is not a mere cup of coffee. There is so much of science and knowledge that you will learn humility,” the internationally recognised coffee-taster said.

She also invited the students present in the hall to learn more about the profession.

She said Indian Coffee Board offers ‘Kaapi Shastra’ on how to brew a perfect cup of coffee and there is a PG diploma course on coffee quality and another course on coffee entrepreneurship from Indian Institution of Plantation Management (IIPM).

She said her Coffeelab analyses samples from across the world.

“We are more as a facilitator, depending on what the market wants and what the grower can provide,” she said.

Presiding over the programme, former vice-chancellor of SNDT Women’s University Prof Rupa Shah urged women not to be fearful about the outcome. “I will compete and emerge successful should be the motto,” she stressed.

The Besant group of institutions felicitated alumni achievers including writer Kasturi, gynaecologist and well-known athlete Vandana Rao.

Kasturi and Devayani, who had emerged as toppers and declared as Vasantha Ranis while in school in 1959, were felicitated on the occasion.

Devayani thanked the management for remembering them after 50 years.

source: http://www.deccanherald.com / Deccan Herald / Home> State> Mangaluru / by Harsha, Mangaluru / January 19th, 2019

Tata Coffee Ltd appoints Mr. Chacko Purackal Thomas as MD & CEO

December 27, 2018Business & Economy, Coffee News, Coffee, Kodagu (Coorg), World Opinionadmin

Based on the recommendation of the Nomination and Remuneration Committee, the Board of Directors of Tata Coffee Limited at their meeting held today, the 24th December 2018, has appointed Mr. Chacko Purackal Thomas (who is currently the Executive Director & Deputy CEO) as ‘Managing Director & CEO designate’ with effect from 24th December 2018.

Mr. Chacko Thomas will assume charge as Managing Director & CEO of Tata Coffee Limited, effective 1st April 2019 after the retirement of Mr. Sanjiv Sarin, the current Managing Director and CEO, whose term of office would expire by 31st March 2019.

Mr. Chacko Purackal Thomas is a Bachelor of Science with specialization in Computer Science from the University of Jodhpur. He has over 26 years of rich experience and expertise in the field of Plantations, Business strategy, Sales and Marketing and overall leadership.

He has been associated with Tata Coffee Limited as the Executive Director & Deputy CEO since 4th August, 2015. Before joining Tata Coffee, he was the Managing Director of Kannan Devan Hills Plantations Company Private Limited, Munnar.

Shares of TATA COFFEE LTD. was last trading in BSE at Rs.95.45 as compared to the previous close of Rs. 94.45. The total number of shares traded during the day was 19718 in over 263 trades.

The stock hit an intraday high of Rs. 95.7 and intraday low of 94.45. The net turnover during the day was Rs. 1877889.

source: http://www.equitybulls.com / Equity Bulls / Home> Stock Report / December 25th, 2018

Coffee classes in Coorg

December 1, 2018Coffee, Kodagu (Coorg), Educationadmin

Attention, coffee lovers. Here’s your chance to live and work at an estate during harvest season.

Much work goes into the perfect cup of coffee, even before the myriad stages of pulping, grading, roasting, brewing et all can begin. What bothers Marc Tormo, is that most of us don’t know about any of it.

Marc is a coffee expert, roaster and brewer of repute. Originally from Barcelona, he settled in Auroville in 1996 and has since been making a living out of specialty coffee. This harvest season, Marc wants to spend an immersive weekend at a coffee estate in Coorg — with enthusiasts, aspiring entrepreneurs, or just those who love their coffee — demonstrating every step that goes into coffee-making. Aptly titled From Crop To Cup, the workshop will help participants learn what happens in every step of the process.

So expect to spend a day with coffee pickers, helping them in their task. Be prepared to lend a hand in the washing, drying and roasting as well. And it’s not only about cultivation: “Participants will also be introduced to international standards of cupping (coffee tasting), and taught how to assess flavour, aroma, body consistency, sweetness, bitterness and the like,” he says over a phone call. “There will also be blind tasting sessions, as well as collaborative sessions where participants will have to work with each other,” he adds. Home brewing lessons are also included.

All this will take place at the estate of Old Kent, whose owners are facilitating the workshop. Participants will be put up in English cottages in the estate.

Crop To Cup will be held at Old Kent Estates and Spa, Coorg, from December 7 to 10. The cost per head is ₹24,000. For details, call 9789896454.

The estate can be contacted through www.oldkentestates.com and reservations@oldkentestates.com

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> Life & Style> Food / by Meghan Majumder / November 30th, 2018

No Ordinary Bean

November 30, 2018Coffee, Kodagu (Coorg), Records, All, World Opinionadmin

Spit, dung and more — these expensive coffees are not for the faint-hearted

The first sip tastes almost like a regular cup of Joe — it’s earthy, smooth but minus the usual bitterness. In fact, it tastes so unique that no one can pinpoint for sure its complex flavours. Some say it even has a hint of chocolate or fruity taste. Wonder what kind of coffee this is? Considered one of the most expensive coffees in the world, the secret ingredient behind this coffee might make you reconsider your love for the drink. This famous brew called Kopi Luwak or civet coffee is made from the faeces of civet cat and has its roots in Indonesia. Don’t be surprised, because cat poop coffee is just one of the many new trends in the coffee industry.

Civet cats consume coffee cherries for the fleshy pulp of the beans

Civet cats have a natural tendency to roam around in coffee plantations. More often than not, they pick on coffee cherries — the perfectly ripped ones of the lot. These coffee cherries are picked by civets for the fleshy pulp of the beans. During the digestion process, a unique fermentation process occurs, such that after passing through the civet’s intestines, the beans are defecated with other faecal matter. While this might just be faecal matter for some, others consider this a treasure. Rajat Badami, founder and CEO of Kingsmen Coffee says, “The sale of this coffee is primarily outside India. There is demand for this coffee in the US and many European nations.” But the process doesn’t end at collecting cat poop, argues Badami. He says, “Identifying the civet’s faeces, handpicking it and then washing, drying and pounding is a long and tedious process. Since so much effort goes into making it, we sell this coffee at $600 a pound in Western countries.”

On the other hand, Thamoo Poovaiah, managing partner of Ainmane brand of coffee, the first company in India to make Kopi Luwak prefers to keep the rates lower for Indian audiences. He says, “We have more than 235,000 acres of coffee plantations in India and we produce 40% of India’s coffee. Since civet coffee is hard to obtain naturally, we can get only five to 10 tonnes of it per annum.” Ainmane sells civet coffee for 1,060 per 100gms.

While coffee made of litter selling for a few thousands might seem like an absurd concept, there is more to it. The brainchild of Thailand’s Anantara Resort produces coffee straight from elephant dung. Known widely as Black Ivory Coffee, this unique product finds a place in the list of ‘rare and expensive coffees of the world’. A single cup of this coffee is said to cost around $50. Its producer, Black Ivory Coffee Company, maks a very limited amount on an yearly basis, given that this natural process is time-consuming. Blake Dinkin, founder of Black Ivory Coffee is wants to keep the process a secret. He believes many people have mistaken the idea to be as easy as collecting elephant dung containing coffee beans.

Another special coffee with animal component is the monkey parchment coffee produced near Araku Valley. The process of collecting beans is slightly different than the previous varieties. The monkeys, just like the civets, pick on the ripest coffee cherries. The difference being they eat only the flesh, but instead of swallowing the bean, they usually spit it out. The natural enzymes in their saliva give the coffee beans a tinge of acidity. Kunal Ross, founder and CEO of The Indian Bean says, “It is difficult to spot these spit beans in a forest, as compared to civet or elephant litter. A bite mark on a coffee bean is how we distinguish our beans.” This makes the discovery process longer, but once collected, the beans are washed under running water and dried to ensure the consistent roasting. The Indian Bean’s monkey parchment coffee costs around 4,000/kg. These beans are collected around October, and what makes this coffee even more exclusive is its limited number of vendors in India. Coffee lovers are slowly warming up to the idea of artisan coffees, but it would be intriguing to see what new ingredient will join the list next.

source: http://www.outlookbusiness.com / Outlook Business / Home> C’est la vie> The Good Life / by Aishwarya Parikh / July 21st, 2018

As rains wash away coffee, Board sounds chicory alert

October 26, 2018Coffee News, Coffee, Kodagu (Coorg)admin

The quality of coffee that we consume daily could see a dip in purity because of the drop in production.

The Coffee Board has raised fears that the coffee supplied in the domestic market could see a rise in chicory content. Worried about this, the Board has urged the food safety department to look into the chicory content in the coffee supplied to domestic consumers.

M S Boje Gowda, chairman, Coffee Board, told DH that people should drink coffee wisely in the coming days. There has been a drop by 82,000 tonnes in coffee production this year, because of excess rains and landslides in Chikkamagaluru, Kodagu and Kerala.

Around 80% of the coffee grown is exported and there can be no compromise in the quality in the international market. So, there will be a drop in the exports.

The domestic market, on the contrary, will not see a lull because of addition of chicory. Chicory costs Rs 50 a kilo and according to Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI), adding chicory up to 49% is permitted. But there are chances that change in its percentage will go unnoticed in many local brands. Thus, it is important that the food safety department keeps a check, Gowda said.

“We are trying to limit the chicory addition to 10%. Now, it is for FSSAI to put a limit and test the quality in the local market. We have also made a proposal to the ministry in this regard,” he added.

The Board had estimated the production to be four lakh tonnes, but it has been only around three lakh tonnes. It is now keeping a close watch on the production cycle and quality.

Rajesh, a local coffee grower from Kodagu, said that it was not just the flowers, but even the stored dried beans have been lost. This will definitely impact the market in the long run as the standing crops have also been destroyed.

An official from the food safety department said the matter will be discussed with the ministry and a call will be taken.

source: http://www.deccanherald.com / Deccan Herald / Home> State / by Bosky Khanna / DH News Service / October 21st, 2018

Native shade trees better for carbon storage

October 21, 2018Agriculture, Coffee, Kodagu (Coorg), Green Initiatives / Environment, Natureadmin

A coffee plantation in Kodagu, in the shade of silver oak trees. | Photo Credit: MAIL

Using silver oaks is detrimental for robusta

The exotic silver oak may be coffee growers’ preferred shade tree now, but research shows that it affects carbon sequestration and tree diversity in Kodagu’s agroforest systems.

Kodagu’s coffee farms were created when farmers cleared forest undergrowth and started growing coffee under the shade of giant evergreen trees. This ‘native shade’ coffee is still prevalent in the district, but evergreen trees are quickly losing out to the fast-growing silver oak. Farmers do not need permission from forest officials to lop or cut silver oak; this also contributes to its popularity. However, old forest trees make up a huge portion of carbon stocks here, and carbon stocks matter because the higher the carbon contained in vegetation, the more it helps with mitigating climate change.

Carbon stocks
To find out if carbon stocks change when silver oak takes over, a team including scientist Manjunatha Munishamappa from Bengaluru’s Environmental Management and Policy Research Institute studied a total of 49 native and exotic agroforestry systems – where either robusta (which needs more sunlight) or arabica coffee varieties are grown – near 18 forest patches that fall under both moderate and high rainfall zones. In each plot (all spread across 22 locations along the Cauvery river in Kodagu), the researchers quantified shade tree species diversity and the amount of organic carbon sequestered in the trees by measuring wood, root, litter and soil biomass. Across all plots, the researchers identified a total of 86 native tree species; and the total carbon stocks rose with increasing tree diversity.

Native trees in coffee estates and forests displayed high and comparable carbon stocks (approximately 193 and 222 megagrams (Mg) of carbon (C) per hectare respectively) as well as tree diversity (around 45 tree species). However, the introduction of silver oak negatively impacted both carbon stock and diversity. Predictably, robusta coffee estates with silver oaks had significantly lower tree diversity (nine species) and lower carbon stocks (up to an average of 65 MgC per hectare) than all other land-use systems in both precipitation zones.

Current trends
Hence, the current trend of replacing native shade trees in coffee estates with silver oaks is detrimental for carbon storage and tree diversity, especially in robusta farms. Current policies do play a role in this change, because the exotics can be cut for timber without prior permission.

“We have submitted two reports to the Karnataka government on these findings, we hope some policy changes will be incorporated,” he said.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> Science / by Aathira Perinchery/ October 20th, 2018

Kodagu First

a Celebration. Positive News, Facts & Achievements about Kodagu, Coorgs and the People of Kodagu – here at Home and Overseas