After a delay of nearly two months, India’s key coffee-growing regions in Karnataka have started receiving pre-monsoon rains, which are crucial for the next crop setting. Growers fear the delayed rain coupled with higher than normal temperatures are likely to impact the crop in several areas during the 2023-24 crop year starting October.
Karnataka, the largest producer, accounts for over two-thirds of India’s coffee output of around 3.5 lakh tonnes.
While several areas of the key producing districts - Kodagu, Chikkamagaluru and Hassan have received showers over the past couple of days, more rain is forecast by the Indian Metrological Department (IMD) over the next few days, which should provide some respite to the growers. From March 1 till date, the rainfall deficit in Kodagu is 78 per cent, while in Hassan the shortfall is 76 per cent and 59 per cent in Chikmagalur, according to the IMD.
“Delayed rains in many areas has affected flowering and will lead to poor crop setting. In some areas, plants are wilting due to acute moisture stress. Rain in the next few days is critical,” said Jeffry Rebello, President, United Planters Association of South India (UPASI) and a coffee grower in Sakleshpur.
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Crucial for blossom
Pre-monsoon rains, also called as blossom showers, are crucial for coffee plants to blossom. Subsequent showers, after a fortnight, called backing showers are helpful in better crop setting.
“A big part of Kodagu got the first major rain on Tuesday. It is better late than never,” said Bose Mandanna, a large grower in Suntikoppa. However, the damage has already been done. For the robusta variety, the rains have been delayed by about two months, while for arabicas the rain delay is by about a month, damaging the buds, Mandanna said. There could be a 20 per cent loss over the spike estimates and any further delay in rains will cause more damage, he said.
Mahesh Shashidhar, Chairman, Karnataka Planters Association (KPA), said the crop will be lower due to this weather. Lack of rain and rising temperature is a concern and growers are struggling, he said.
“The plants are very stressed due to higher temperatures and the first thing they sacrifice is the reproductive growth as they go into the survival mode,” Mahesh said adding that this would impact the crop.
The higher-than-normal temperatures have led to the scorching of coffee in plants in some areas of Kodagu around Virajpet, bordering Kerala. “The young robusta plants of up to six years, covering quite a large area where shading trees have not been developed, have scorched up,” said Mandanna. Interestingly, in these areas, growers are seen converting from arabicas to the robusta variety in the recent years.
In 2022-23, India produced about 3.6 lakh tonnes of coffee, comprising 1.01 lakh tonnes of arabicas and 2.59 lakh tonnes of robustas.