Coffee production in India is dominated in the hill tracts of South Indian states, with Karnataka accounting for 71%, followed by Kerala with 21% and Tamil Nadu (5% of overall production with 8,200 tonnes). Indian coffee is said to be the finest coffee grown in the shade rather than direct sunlight anywhere in the world. There are about 250,000 coffee growers in the country; 98% of them are small growers. As of 2009, Indian coffee made up just 4.5% of the global production, being the 7th largest producer of coffee. Almost 80% of Indian coffee is exported; 70% is bound for Germany, Russia, Spain, Belgium, Libya, Poland, Jordan, Malaysia, U.S.A, Slovenia and Austria. Italy accounts for 20.37% of the exports. Most of the export is shipped through the Suez Canal.
Coffee is grown in three regions of India with Karnataka, Kerala and Tamil Nadu forming the traditional coffee growing region, followed by the new areas developed in the non-traditional areas of Andhra Pradesh and Odisha in the eastern coast of the country and with a third region comprising the states of Assam, Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Tripura, Nagaland and Arunachal Pradesh of Northeastern India, popularly known as "Seven Sister States of India".
Unwashed Arabica & Robusta coffee (Arabica/Robusta Cherry A & AA) stored in Mangalore and exposed to the humidity/moisture of South West Monsoon during June to September is termed as "Indian monsooned coffee". Its flavour is defined as: "The best Indian coffee reaches the flavour characteristics of Pacific coffees, but at its worst it is simply bland and uninspiring". The two well known species of coffee grown are the Arabica and Robusta. The first variety that was introduced in the Baba Budan Giri hill ranges in Chikmagalur district of Karnataka state in the 17th century was marketed over the years under the brand names of Kent and S.795.
History
Coffee growing has a long history that is attributed first to Ethiopia and then to Arabia (Yemen). The earliest history is traced to 875 AD according to the Bibliotheque Nationale in Paris, and the original source to Ethiopia (Abyssinia) from where it was brought to Arabia in the 15th century.
The consumption of Coffee was recorded in the art and accounts of the Mughal court, from the early 1600s, with travellers recording descriptions of the Coffeehouses 'qahwakhanas' of Shahjahanabad (Old Delhi).
In the Indian context, coffee growing started at the beginning of the 17th century, with an Indian Muslim saint, Baba Budan, who, while returning from a pilgrimage to Mecca, smuggled seven coffee beans (by hiding them in his beard), from Mokha, Yemen, to Mysore in India. He planted them around his home at Chikmagalur (Chandra Drona Giri), Karnataka ()('Giri' means "hill"). The required considerable bravery, as unprocessed coffee bean export was prohibited, to prevent germination, and possible future competition. The Dutch East India Company were the first to recognise the export potential, of Indian grown coffee, with systematic native cultivation encouraged, and initiated the first commercial export of Indian grown coffee, from Dutch India (1605 - 1825). In 1670, most cultivation was by private native farmers.
In 1760, coffee plants from Portuguese India (Goa), were shipped to Brazil, to help establish Brazilian coffee cultivation.
In the 1780s, coffee consumption is observed in French India.
The first substantial British plantations were established, form the 1820s, by the like of Cannon, adjacent to Baba Budan Giri, and by J.H. Jolly, of Parry & Co., on a 40 acre site, near Chandragiri. Commercial plantations spread to other areas of Wayanad (now part of Kerala), the Shevaroys and Nilgiris in Tamil Nadu. With British colonial presence taking strong roots in India in the mid 19th century, coffee plantations flourished for export. The culture of coffee thus spread to South India rapidly.
Initially, Arabica was popular. However, as result of serious infestation caused to this species by coffee rust, an alternative robust species of coffee, appropriately named as robusta and another hybrid between liberica and Arabica, a rust-tolerant hybrid variety of Arabica tree became popular. This is the most common variety of coffee that is grown in the country with Karnataka alone accounting for 70% of production of this variety.
In 1942, the government decided to regulate the export of coffee and protect the small and marginal farmers by passing the Coffee VII Act of 1942, under which the Coffee Board of India got established, operated by the Ministry of Commerce and Industry. The government dramatically increased their control of coffee exports in India and pooled the coffees of its growers. In doing so, they reduced the incentives for farmers to produce high-quality coffee, so quality became stagnant.
Over the last 50 years, coffee production in India has grown by over 15 percent. From 1991, economic liberalisation took place in India, and the industry took full advantage of this and cheaper labour costs of production. In 1993, a monumental Internal Sales Quota (ISQ) made the first step in liberalising the coffee industry by entitling coffee farmers to sell 30% of their production within India. This was further amended in 1994 when the Free Sale Quota (FSQ) permitted large and small scale growers to sell between 70% and 100% of their coffee either domestically or internationally. A final amendment in September 1996 saw the liberalisation of coffee for all growers in the country and a freedom to sell their produce wherever they wished.
Production
Background
As in Ceylon, coffee production in India declined rapidly from the 1870s and was massively outgrown by the emerging tea industry. The devastating coffee rust affected the output of coffee to the point that the costs of production saw coffee plantations in many parts replaced with tea plantations. However, the coffee industry was not as affected by this disease as in Ceylon, and although overshadowed in scale by the tea industry, India was still one of the strongholds of coffee production in the British Empire along with British Guiana. In the period 1910–12, the area under coffee plantation was reported to be in the southern states, and was mostly exported to England.
In the 1940s, Indian filter coffee, a sweet milky coffee made from dark roasted coffee beans (70%–80%) and chicory (20%–30%) became a commercial success. It was especially popular in the southern states of Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Kerala and Tamil Nadu. The most commonly used coffee beans are Arabica and Robusta grown in the hills of Karnataka (Kodagu, Chikkamagaluru and Hassan), Kerala (Malabar region) and Tamil Nadu (Nilgiris District, Yercaud and Kodaikanal).
Coffee production in India grew rapidly in the 1970s, increasing from 68,948 tonnes in 1971–72 to 120,000 tonnes in 1979–80 and grew by 4.6 percent in the 1980s. It grew by more than 30 percent in the 1990s, rivalled only by Uganda in the growth of production. By 2007, organic coffee was grown in about with an estimated production of about 1,700 tonnes. According to the 2008 statistics published by the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), the area of coffee green harvested in India was , with yield estimates of 7,660 hectogram/ha, forming a total production estimate of 262,000 tonnes.
There are approximately 250,000 coffee growers in India; 98% of them are small growers. Over 90 percent of them are small farms consisting of or fewer. According to published statistics for 2001–2002, the total area under coffee in India was with small holdings of 175,475 accounting for 71.2%. The area under large holding of more than was (only 9.1% of all holdings) only under 167 holdings. The area under less than holdings was (33% of the total area) among 138,209 holders. Size of holdingsNumbers (2001–2002)Area of holding Less than 10 ha 175,475 Between 10 and 100 ha and above 2,833 Total 178,308
The most important areas of production are in the southern states of Karnataka, Kerala, and Tamil Nadu which accounted for over 92% of India's coffee production in the 2005–2006 growing season. In this same season, India exported over of coffee, with over 25% destined for Italy. Traditionally, India has been a noted producer of Arabica coffee but in the last decade robusta beans are growing substantially due to high yields, which now account for over 60 percent of coffee produced in India. The domestic consumption of coffee increased from 50,000 tonnes in 1995 to 94,400 tonnes in 2008. According to the statistics provided by the Coffee Board of India, the estimated production of Robusta and Arabica coffee for the "Post Monsoon Estimation 2009–10" and "Post Blossom Estimation 2010–11" in different states accounted for a total of 308,000 tonnes and 289,600 tonnes, respectively. As of 2010, between 70% and 80% of Indian grown coffee is exported overseas.
Growing conditions All coffee grown in India are grown in shade and commonly with two tiers of shade. Often inter-cropped with spices such as cardamom, cinnamon, clove, and nutmeg, the coffees gain aromatics from the inter-cropping, storage, and handling functions. Growing altitudes range between to above sea level for Arabica (premier coffee), and to for Robusta (though of lower quality, it is robust to environment conditions). Ideally, both Arabica and Robusta are planted in well-drained soil conditions that favour rich organic matter that is slightly acidic (pH 6.0–6.5). However, India's coffees tend to be moderately acidic which can lead to either a balanced and sweet taste, or a listless and inert one. Slopes of Arabica tend to be gentle to moderate, while Robusta slopes are gentle to fairly level.
Blooming and maturing
Blooming is the time when coffee plants bloom with white flowers which last for about 3–4 days (termed "evanescent" period) before they mature into seeds. When coffee plantations are in full bloom it is a delightful sight to watch. The time period between blooming and maturing of the fruit varies appreciably with the variety and the climate; for the Arabica, it is about seven months, and for the Robusta, about nine months. The fruit is gathered by hand when it is fully ripe and red-purple in colour.
Climatic conditions Ideal climatic conditions to grow coffee are related to temperature and rainfall; temperatures in the range of and with rainfall incidence in the range of followed by a dry spell of 2–3 months suit the Arabica variety. Cold temperatures closer to freezing conditions are not suitable to grow coffee. Where the rainfall is less than , providing irrigation facilities is essential. In the tropical region of the south Indian hills, these conditions prevail leading to coffee plantations flourishing in large numbers. Relative humidity for Arabica ranges 70–80% while for Robusta it ranges 80–90%.
Coffee diseases One of the most prevalent diseases that coffee plants are subjected to in India is fungal growth. This fungus is called the Hemileia vastatrix, an endophytous that grows within the matter of the leaf; an effective remedy has not yet been discovered to eliminate it. Another prevalent disease is known as coffee rot, which can cause severe damage during the rainy season, particularly to plantations in Karnataka. Pellicularia koleroga is the name given to this rot or rust, which turns the leaves a black color with a slimy gelatinous film. It is now classified as Ceratobasidium noxium This causes the coffee leaves and clusters of coffee berries to drop to the ground. In addition, snakes such as cobras are a nuisance and potential threat to workers in Indian coffee plantations.
Processing