India is heading for yet another record coffee crop in the year 2017-18 starting October 1 on increase in the bearing area under the bean crop. State-run Coffee Board, which released the post-blossom or the initial estimates on Tuesday Oct 03,2017, has placed the 2017-18 crop at 3.5 lakh tonnes (lt) — an increase of 12.31 per cent over 2016-17’s final output of 3.12 lt.
Rise in acreage
The crop size of arabicas, the mild and premium bean variety, is seen rising by around 8.53 per cent in 2017-18 over the previous year, while the production of robustas is seen growing by around 14 per cent.
The projected growth in 2017-18 post blossom output is mainly on account on increase in bearing area of about 13,500 hectares in the traditional growing States of Karnataka, Kerala and Tamil Nadu. Though the Coffee Board had assessed the 2017-18 post-blossom crop size during May 2017, the estimates were released on Tuesday.
Crop losses, if any, after May 2017, will be taken into account at the time of post-monsoon estimation, the Board said in a statement.
India is the fifth largest producer of coffee and Karnataka accounts for about two-thirds of the coffee produced in the country.
State-wise crop size
The post-blossom estimate for Karnataka is placed at 251,760 tonnes comprising 75,300 tonnes of arabica and 176,460 tonnes of robusta. The post-blossom forecast represents a 13.5 per cent increase over last year. All the three main growing regions of Kodagu, Chikamagalur and Hassan districts are seen registering an increase in output over last year.
In Kerala, mainly a robusta producer, the post-blossom estimates for the year 2017-18 are placed at 68,520 tonnes, an increase of 8.31 per cent over the previous year’s final estimate of 63,265 tonnes. In Tamil Nadu, the post blossom forecast for 2017-18 is placed at 19,160 tonnes, up 17.29 per cent over last year’s 16,335 tonnes.
In the non-traditional areas of Andhra Pradesh and Odisha as well as in North Eastern Region, the post-blossom forecast is placed at 10,960 tonnes as against previous final estimate of 10,655 tonnes. The higher forecast has come mainly from Andhra Pradesh due to increase in bearing area.
The Board also said that the 2016-17 crop size had shrunk by around 10.34 per cent over the previous year to 3.12 lt mainly on account of poor rains last year.
In 2015-16, India had produced a record crop of 3.48 lakh tonnes.
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