Karnataka   

Karnataka’s coffee growers face crisis as prices crash

Bangalore: Karnataka’s coffee economy — which produces close to three-quarters of all coffee in India — is on the verge of a major crisis. Coffee prices in the international market have tumbled in the last few weeks, triggered by the global meltdown.

Prices of Robusta coffee have fallen by almost 40 per cent and those of Arabica by about 20 per cent in the last eight weeks.

The situation is particularly grim for growers in Karnataka. Nearly 70,000 growers — of whom three-fourth are small growers — are facing a crisis because of falling prices in the international market. The Indian coffee economy’s heavy dependence on exports — nearly 70 per cent of the output is exported — threatens to place jobs in plantations at risk.

Shaji Philip, chairman of the Coffee Committee, United Planters’ Association of South India (UPASI), said the severe recession in the industrialised world had resulted in prices crashing in the international market.

The crisis is not entirely about falling prices.

C.M. Pemmiah, chairman, Karnataka Planters’ Association (KPA), said untimely rain early this year and at the end of the monsoon, coupled with extended periods of drought-like conditions, had seriously harmed coffee crop.

Mr. Pemmiah said the entry of substantial volumes of coffee from good harvests in Brazil and Vietnam has dampened prices. Senior KPA officials said yields were likely to drop at least 10 per cent during the current season (the coffee growing season is from October to September).

Printer friendly page  
Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

Stories in this Section

Karnataka’s coffee growers face crisis as prices crash
‘Religious groups in a contest’
‘Small industries only alternative’
Bodies recovered
Enact law for promoting green energy in a big way: Advani
Correction
Advani inaugurates Hampi Utsav
BJP wins all 3 Legislative Council seats in Karnataka
Substandard seeds supplied: sangha
Mill owners oppose rice levy order
Gastroenteritis: one dead, 20 in hospital
Mysore musings
Call to fight against graft, casteism
Theatre festival
Conference

Copyright © 2008, The Hindu. Republication or redissemination of the contents of this screen are expressly prohibited without the written consent of The Hindu