Fwd: Coffee planters might miss FY15 production target
lokesh kote
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Coffee growers are likely to miss the production target fixed by the Coffee Board for the second year in a row as heavy monsoon rains have played spoilsport in many growing regions in Karnataka during the months of July and August.
As against the target of 344,750 tonne, the actual production could be around the range of 300,000 tonne as heavy rains have resulted in stalk rot and bean rot in Arabica and Robusta plantations.
Already, white stem borer (WSB) pest has significantly damaged Arabica plantations. The incessant rains have led to bean dropping and leaf dropping at several places, planters said.
"Arabica plantations have seen severe damage due to white stem borer in May and June this year. Now, the rains have added to our miseries. Continuous rains and absence of sunshine has resulted in lack of photosynthesis in plants. The plants have developed wet foot disease due to heavy water logging in most of the growing regions in Kodagu and Chikmagalur," said D Govindappa Jayaram, Chairman, Karnataka Planters' Association (KPA).
The situation is more or less similar to that of last year. The growing regions received about 10-15% higher rains than normal till the first week of August since the beginning of monsoon in June, he said.
"Also, it is not conducive for the plantations to receive such a heavy amount of rain in July after seeing scanty rains in June, Jayaram added.
In July, Chikmagalur and Hassan districts received 21% and 28% higher rains than normal, while Kodagu district witnessed 9% lesser rainfall than the normal average.
As a result of wide variations in weather conditions, the KPA estimates the production of coffee to be lower than the Coffee Board estimates.
According to KPA, the production could be around 3000,000 tonne and the only saving grace for the planters this year is Robusta crop, which is very good. This year is an "On-Year" for Robusta. The Robusta output is projected at 239,250 tonne for 2014-15 by the Coffee Board and the KPA almost agrees with the Board. However, the KPA does not agree with the Board estimates on Arabica crop.
The Board has projected Arabica output at 105,500 tonne, while the KPA feels it could be around 60,000-70,000 tonne due to widespread damage caused by White Stem Borer pest. For the current year, the pest has already affected 50% of the Arabica plantations and the production loss could be the worst ever, Jayaram said.
Although the Board projected an all-time high output of 347,000 tonne for 2013-14, the final production came down to 304,500 tonne, with 102,200 tonne of Arabica and 202,300 tonne of Robusta beans. Compared to 315,500 tonne in 2012-13, the production was down by 3.5%.