In News: Recently Indian coffee exporters are beginning to see a pick-up in demand as buyers in key markets of Europe and West Asia among others have started placing orders for the new arabica coffee crop that’s currently being harvested.
- India is a leading country in the world in terms of coffee production and stands among top 10 coffee producing countries in the world. The coffee grown in India is of one of the finest qualities in the world, which is grown in the shade.
- Coffee Production is an important source of employment in India and more than 2.5 Lakh coffee growers are present in India. In the last financial year, i.e. 2014-15, the total coffee produced by India was 3.27 Lakh Metric Tonnes. Also, the total coffee production is expected to cross the mark of 3.5 Lakh Metric Tonnes in the next financial year.
- Arabica and Robusta are the two types of coffee grown in India. In the last financial year, the total production of Robusta was 2.29 Lakh Metric Tonnes whereas the production of Arabica was 98,000 Metric Tonnes.
- A major part of the coffee produced in India is exported to other countries, which is more than 70% of the total coffee produced in the country. Some of the countries to which coffee is exported are Italy, Germany, Turkey, Belgium, Russian Federation, U.S.A. and Australia.
- In India, coffee is mainly produced in Karnataka, Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh and Odisha. Among all coffee producing states, Karnataka stands on top with a share of more than 70% of the total coffee produced in India.
ODISHA
- Odisha is the fifth largest coffee producing state in India with a production of 550 Metric Tonnes. Arabica is the type of coffee grown in Odisha, which needs moderate temperature and high rainfall to grow.
- Koraput, Rayagada, Phulbani and Keonjhar are the main coffee producing regions in Odisha.
KERALA
- Kerala with a total production of 67,700 Metric Tonnes stands at 2nd position in the list of top 5 largest coffee producing states in India. Kerala accounts for more than 20% of the total coffee produced in India.
- Like Karnataka, Robusta Coffee forms the major part of the total coffee produced in the state with a production of more than 65,000 Metric Tonnes. Arabica Coffee is produced in a small quantity as compared to Robust and in the last financial year, its production was 2,055 Metric Tonnes.
- Wayanad and Travancore are the main coffee producing regions in Kerala and account for more than 95% of the total coffee produced in the state. Nelliampathies, Kozhikode, Palakkad and Malappuram are other coffee producing regions in the state.
- Like Karnataka, coffee in Kerala is planted at a high altitude of about 1,200 meters above sea level. Kerala also has a good yield, which is 790 kilograms per hectare.
TAMIL NADU
- Tamil Nadu is next on this list, which produced 17,875 Metric Tonnes of coffee in the last financial year. Tamil Nadu is a major coffee producing state and accounts for more than 5% of the total coffee produced in the country.
- Arabica Coffee forms a major part of the total coffee produced in the state and in the last financial year, the production of Arabica Coffee was 13,150 Metric Tonnes. Robusta Coffee is also produced by the state, whose production was 4,725 Metric Tonnes in the last year.