Govt eyes boosting coffee output to 9 lakh tonnes by 2047
India will look to boost its coffee output by more than twice its current production at 9 lakh tonnes per annum by 2047 as its eyes area expansion in some four lakh hectares over the period.
Unveiling the coffee sector vision for 2047 at the 131st annual conference of the United Planters Association of South India (UPASI) on Friday, Coffee Board Secretary and CEO KG Jagadeesha said the expansion in area and production will take place in phases over the next five, ten and 23 years.
“We want to increase our production from 3.6 lakh tonnes to 9 lakh tonnes by 2047,” Jagadeesha said. “Also, we want to increase the share of value-added coffees from 38 per cent to 60 per cent, and target increase in exports to $6 billion by 2047,” Jagadeesha told the planters gathering making a virtual presentation.
Sustainable coffee
“Internationally we would like to position India as the country of eco-friendly and sustainable premium coffee, while domestically we would like to grow as a great coffee culture,” Jagadeesha said.
The targeted growth in output would be achieved through a combination of area expansion, improved genetics of the coffee varieties, launching of a national replanting programme among other measures including leveraging technology, promoting mechanisation and skilling across the coffee value chain, he said.
Recently, the Board signed a Memorandum of Understanding with Jain Irrigation to make available tissue culture propagated plants of some of the best-performing varieties on the farmers’ fields. Also, efforts will be made to improve nutrient management in the non-traditional areas, which can help improve productivity.
Areas for expansion
The Board has taken up a study along with the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) on mapping suitable areas for coffee cultivation. There is a a potential for area expansion of over 4 lakh hectares, of which two lakh hectares is in the non-traditional areas, especially Andhra Pradesh and Odisha and another one lakh hectares in the North-Eastern Region and the rest in traditional coffee growing areas of Karnataka, Kerala and Tamil Nadu. The Coffee Board is working in close co-ordination with the Governments of AP, Odisha and NE states for partnership in area expansion.
India is the seventh-largest producer and the sixth-largest exporter of coffee. The current area under coffee is 4.8 lakh ha and production stood at 3.6 lakh tonnes with per hectare productivity of 814 kgs. Two-thirds of the coffee produced in the country is exported. Coffee production and exports have grown consistently over the decades, he said, adding the shipments exceeded a billion dollars for three years in a row.