Policy, production concerns dominate KPA annual media briefing
The Karnataka Planters’ Association is opposing the Centre’s draft Western Ghats Ecologically Sensitive Area notification, citing concerns over land use and agricultural livelihoods. Meanwhile, the coffee industry faces volatility due to climate risks and shifting global production estimates.
Why it matters
The conflict highlights the tension between environmental conservation policies and the economic interests of the agricultural sector in India.
The Karnataka Planters’ Association (KPA), representing over 70% of India’s coffee growers, has reiterated its long-standing objections to the Centre’s draft Western Ghats Ecologically Sensitive Area (ESA) notification. Speaking ahead of the commodity body’s Annual General Meeting in Chikmagaluru, President Salman Baseer urged the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change to give due weight to submissions filed by the body since 2012
The draft ESA proposal aims to legally protect 56,825.7 sq km of the fragile mountain range across six states. However, states like Karnataka, Kerala, and Goa have consistently opposed it, citing concerns that satellite mapping inaccurately covers inhabited villages, infrastructure, and private patta lands, thereby threatening regional livelihoods.
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