Unseasonal Rains hit coffee output

Unseasonal rains are expected to hit Karnataka’s coffee output. The state, India’s largest coffee producer, has witnessed a spell of torrential rains which have hit Chikmagalur, Hassan and Kodagu districts – the coffee growing belts.

The rains, thanks to cyclonic storm Jal, lead to dropping of the ripe berries due to colder nights. Typically, the night temperature should be around 20 degree centigrade but over the last few days it has been around 16-18 degree centigrade.

“We are expecting a 20% drop in Arabica and a 10% shortfall in the Robusta crop,” said B Subramani, President of Kodagu Coffee Growers Co-operative Society.

Kodagu produces nearly half of the state’s coffee output and is a major producer of Robusta. As per Coffee Board estimates, the state is slated to produce around 2.19 lakh tonne.

Another disturbing fact is that a vast majority of the coffee plantations has no insurance although the Agriculture Insurance Company(AIC) has now extended cover for unseasonal rains. “Planters have resisted the idea of buying adequate cover though our company has now designed a product to specifically cover such eventualities.”