Farm employees harvesting coffee beans at a plantation in Wayanad district of Kerala.
| Photo Credit: E.M. MANOJ
Robusta coffee farmers in South India are jubilant post-harvest with their produce fetching an all-time high price.
The farmgate price of uncooked Robusta coffee berries touched a file ₹172 per kilogram (kg) within the Wayanad market on Saturday, as towards ₹115 per kg throughout the identical interval final yr. Meanwhile, the spot price of Robusta coffee beans stood at ₹315 per kg, up from ₹210 throughout the identical interval in 2023. The price was ₹80 and ₹145 per kg for uncooked berries and beans, respectively, in March 2022.
Though the harvest is nearly full, there was an enormous shortfall within the provide of coffee to the market this yr, thereby contributing to the rise in coffee costs, mentioned Salu George, a coffee dealer in Wayanad.
Multiple elements
“We expect a decline of 30% in Robusta production this year owing to climatic vagaries, especially the scanty blossom shower in Robusta-growing regions last year,” Mr. George mentioned.
A pointy decline within the manufacturing of Robusta coffee—practically 2 million baggage—in Vietnam, a serious Robusta coffee-growing nation, has additionally led to the rise in costs, sources added. Robusta coffee manufacturing in Indonesia too dipped sharply this yr, they mentioned.
Notably, the price of Arabica seeds has dropped beneath the price of Robusta. The farmgate price of the Arabica number of coffee was ₹305 per kg on Saturday. While historically the Arabica selection fetched a premium price, it’s now Robusta that’s promoting at a better price attributable to its low availability.
Farmers count on manufacturing to say no by 25%-30% subsequent yr too owing to a dearth of backup showers in lots of Robusta coffee-growing areas.
Wayanad in Kerala, which is the biggest Robusta coffee-producing district within the nation after Coorg in Karnataka, acquired a rainfall of 29.3 mm within the first week of January. Major elements of the district acquired no rain since then, Prasanth Rajesh, Director, Wayanad Coffee Growers’ Association mentioned.
The January showers helped within the blossoming of Robusta coffee vegetation, farmers say. But absence of backup showers, a significant component within the formation of berries, is a priority.
According to the Coffee Board of India, the overall manufacturing of coffee in India in the course of the 2022-23 fiscal was 3,52,000 tonnes, together with 2,52,000 tonnes of Robusta coffee. The whole worth of India’s coffee exports has risen to ₹5,279 crore in the course of the ongoing coffee season, from ₹3,982 crore throughout the identical interval within the earlier season
