Karnataka’s coffee cultivation area remains stagnant: KPA chairman
Karnataka's coffee cultivation area has stagnated due to rigid land laws and lack of financial support, according to the Karnataka Planters Association. The industry is calling for policy modernization and climate-resilient farming to remain globally competitive.
Why it matters
Coffee is a major export for India, and the stagnation of the sector impacts the economy and the Western Ghats ecosystem.
While Karnataka remains India's undisputed coffee heartland, accounting for over 70% of national production, the State's cultivation area has completely stagnated due to various reasons, including "rigid land conversion laws," according to M. Salman Baseer, Chairman of the Karnataka Planters Association (KPA).
The State produces between 2.5 lakh and 2.8 lakh metric tonnes of coffee a year on about 2.46 lakh hectares of land, an area that has remained stagnant for the last 15 to 20 years.
Mr. Baseer said coffee planters were struggling as they are unable to carry out expansion activities due to a lack of State-sponsored credit, underfunded subsidies, high interest rates and the unavailability of climate-resilient and high-yielding varieties.
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