The Coffee Board CEO and Secretary Srivatsa Krishna on Thursday exhorted growers to look beyond government subsidies to move up the value chain and embrace technology to arrest the decline in the sector.

Speaking at the India International Coffee Festival, Krishna said subsidies to the coffee sector have stopped since April 1, 2017. “In the medium-term framework, the Board has proposed for only two subsidies...The subsidies cannot be the only diet...The industry has to look beyond subsidies and move up the value chain,” Krishna said.

In absence of any new major area coming up under coffee, the Board is focussing on improving the productivity to boost the output. India’s coffee productivity hovers at around 1,000 kg/ha, lower than the global average of 1,200 kg/ha.

Krishna further suggested that the industry should adopt technology and try to do things differently to move up the value chain. The Board proposes to introduce a bunch of technology avenues including an application for the field staff to carry out extension activities.

He also said that the Board is taking up a domestic promotional campaign to boost consumption.

The International Coffee Organisation’s executive director Jose Sette said, climate change poses a big challenge to the coffee production globally.

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