Karnataka coffee planters reel under Covid, heavy rains

Bengaluru, Nov 6 : Year 2020 has been a double whammy for Karnataka coffee planters, as they reel under the Covid pandemic and the damage caused by heavy rains to the beans during the recent south-west monsoon.
“The financial year (2020-21) began in April with the Covid-induced lockdown and pandemic disruption to the plantation sector. Even as we were grappling with the virus fallout, heavy rains and floods from August to October damaged the coffee estates,” Karnataka Planters Association (KPA) Chairman Shirish Vijayendra told IANS on Friday.
The commodity plantation sector was already in distress and suffered huge losses due to heavy rains, landslides and floods over the last two years.
“The estimated loss to the coffee sector due to Covid is Rs 441 crore, including Rs 131 crore of Robusta crop, Rs 88 crore of Arabica crop, Rs 144 crore of inventory, Rs 78 crore of pepper crop and Rs 250 crore of exports,” said Vijayendra from Chikamagalur in the state’s northwest region.
As the largest producer of the aromatic beans, Karnataka accounts for about 70 per cent of the coffee production in the country. The beans are grown in 5 districts — Chamarajanagar, Chikamagalur, Dakshina Kannada, Hassan and Kodagu — across the rich bio-diverse Western Ghats in the Deccan plateau.
Incessant rains during the monsoon season in Chikamagalur, Dakshina Kannada, Hassan and Kodagu caused landslides, gusty winds, floods which washed away plantations and damaged infrastructure in the estates.