Coffee Board brews sustainability push with new certification framework
The Coffee Board of India is launching a new sustainability certification framework to leverage the country's traditional shade-grown coffee cultivation. The initiative includes a three-tier verification process to align Indian coffee exports with international sustainability standards.
Why it matters
This move aims to increase the global competitiveness and value of Indian coffee by appealing to environmentally conscious international markets.
The Coffee Board has developed sustainability standards and is in the process of implementing the certification process, said Kurma Rao, its Chief Executive Officer and Secretary.
India, the world’s seventh-largest coffee producer and fifth-largest exporter, exported coffee worth more than $2 billion in 2025-26, with nearly 39% comprising value-added products., he said.
Indian coffee’s distinctive advantage lies in its traditional shade-grown cultivation, which the Board aims to leverage through the new sustainability standards.
“We have published the standards. We are in the process of implementing the certification and a steering committee has been formed for it,” he told The Hindu .
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