Coffee plantation being popularised in Northern India

HANDIGARH/ BANGALORE: Although coffee cultivation began in India in Karnataka and has remained typically a south-based product there have been efforts to popularize this crop in other parts. Hence one finds coffee cultivation being encouraged not just in Andhra Pradesh but also north-east India.

Coffee, according to Mr G V Krishna Rau, chairman of the Coffee Board is grown in one of the ecologically fragile zones in the country. Picture this—against year round rainfall in countries like Brazil, coffee in Karnataka is patchy. The state receives a very heavy spell of rains for about 100 days followed by a continuous dry spell that runs for 100-120 days. Crop yields at less than 500 kg per hectare is no match for what is produced in countries like Colombia.

Global warming which has gained headline attention during the last few years has begun to have an influence on coffee production. Karnataka, the country's largest producer of this wonder bean suffers most both in terms of quantum and distribution of rainfall, something which got reflected between September-November last year when un-seasonal rains saw production dip by over 15%.

In an isolated move some progressive farmers in Himachal Pradesh keen to move out of the wheat and maize cycle are experimenting with coffee plantation. Rising domestic consumption and firming of coffee prices are seen as two key incentives for this move towards coffee plantation in the northern state.

While coffee acreage in India has risen by 1.2 lakh hectares between 1980 and 2000 (bulk of it in Karnataka) it has come at a cost to the environment with the disappearance of forestland.

Mr Krishna Rau believes that if there are regions, which not merely topographically but climatically suited for coffee these options, should be seriously examined and steps taken to promote coffee growing.

This season (May-September) for the first time more than 40,000 plants have been planted by 80 farmers in the districts of Mandi, Bilaspur, Hamirpur,Kangra,Una and Shimla in Hiamchal Pradesh. Most of the farms are situated in the sub-mountain and low hills sub-tropical zone of Himachal Pradesh with a height of 670 m and above and have ambient climate suited for coffee cultivation.

For Vikram Sharma of Ghumarwin tehsil in Bilaspur district of Himachal Pradesh the experimentation started 10 years ago when he planted 50 coffee plants of Kenyan , Brazilian(Cantimore) and Indian( Kaveri and Hemavati) varieties. “On a visit to Karnataka I saw coffee plantations and realized the climatic conditions in Himachal were similar to what was prevailing in Karnataka. This year we have gone for large scale plantation,” he said.

On one bigha(1000 sq feet) 220 plants can be planted. According to Mr Sharma the plant are rain fed and he has not gone in for irrigation. The crop yields the fruit after three years of planting it and grows in the rocky, dry belts of Himachal Pradesh. “Compared to Karnataka where the yield from one plant is 1-2 kg, the yield of our crop is 3 kg,"he said.

58 year old K.C.Thakur, a retired bank manager in Hamirpur this year has planted 1000 plants of coffee. Owner of two hectare in Samtana tehsil in Hamirpur Mr Thakur has planted coffee plants on half hectare this year. On the rest of the land he has been planting coloured capsicum and mushrooms. "With water level going down at 300 feet and below and cash crop not giving the returns I thought to move to other crops which gave better returns. I expect good returns form the coffee plants which don't even require water,” he said. The bank manger who has never visited Karnataka now desires to go and see one big coffee plantation.

Source name: The Economic Times