Coffee growers see crop damage due to untimely rains
The Karnataka Growers’ Federation has warned that untimely rains over the last few days could affect the next crop by 50% in many areas and impact harvesting of the current crop.
By Raghu Krishnan, TNN |
BANGALORE: The Karnataka Growers��� Federation (KGF), representing small growers in India���s leading coffee-growing state, has warned that untimely rains over the last few days could affect the next crop by 50% in many areas and impact harvesting of the current crop.
KGF said, as it is the Arabica coffee growers have been feeling the impact of the attack by the white stem borer (WSB) pest in 2003 which resulted in low yields at a time when bean prices were good.
KGF president Dr NK Pradeep said as a result of all this, the growers could find it difficult to pay the instalment and interest on working capital loans taken over the last few years. KGF has, therefore, asked the Coffee Board to assess the damage to the crop in consultation with the growers and to submit a report to the Union ministry of commerce so as to ���initiate necessary steps���.
Coffee Board chairman GV Krishna Rau told ET that it was premature to talk at this juncture about the impact of unseasonal rains on the next crop ��� Arabica beans are harvested from November, and Robusta a few months later.
���If the normal follow-on rains do not take place in March-April, it is only then that there could be an impact on the next crop. In terms of the present crop, we estimate that some 20% of Arabica and 80% of Robusta still has to be harvested. The untimely rains are only in some areas and could cause early flowering of the bud of the next crop. We are, therefore, issuing an advisory to growers that on the sixth day from the day the untimely rains started, the growers stop harvesting the current crop for four days so as to give enough time for the bud of the next crop to blossom.���
KGF said, as it is the Arabica coffee growers have been feeling the impact of the attack by the white stem borer (WSB) pest in 2003 which resulted in low yields at a time when bean prices were good.
KGF president Dr NK Pradeep said as a result of all this, the growers could find it difficult to pay the instalment and interest on working capital loans taken over the last few years. KGF has, therefore, asked the Coffee Board to assess the damage to the crop in consultation with the growers and to submit a report to the Union ministry of commerce so as to ���initiate necessary steps���.
Coffee Board chairman GV Krishna Rau told ET that it was premature to talk at this juncture about the impact of unseasonal rains on the next crop ��� Arabica beans are harvested from November, and Robusta a few months later.
���If the normal follow-on rains do not take place in March-April, it is only then that there could be an impact on the next crop. In terms of the present crop, we estimate that some 20% of Arabica and 80% of Robusta still has to be harvested. The untimely rains are only in some areas and could cause early flowering of the bud of the next crop. We are, therefore, issuing an advisory to growers that on the sixth day from the day the untimely rains started, the growers stop harvesting the current crop for four days so as to give enough time for the bud of the next crop to blossom.���
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