After tea, coffee is India’s second most important beverage crop. It was brought to Arabia in the eleventh century from its native habitat on the Abyssinia Plateau in Ethiopia. Its seeds were brought from Arabia to India in the 17th century by Baba Budan and cultivated in the Baba Budan Hills of Karnataka. The British planters were very interested in coffee plantations, and in 1826, they founded sizable coffee estates close to Chikmagalur (Karnataka), followed by Manantody (Wynad) and Shevoroys in 1830 and Nilgiris in 1839. There are currently over 52,000 coffee gardens employing 2. 5 million people.
This plant is produced on hill slopes at heights ranging from 600 to 1,600 meters above sea level since still water is bad for it. The northern and eastern orientations of slopes are favored because they are less susceptible to the strong afternoon sun and the southwest monsoon winds. Coffee plants thrive in well-drained, nutrient-rich, friable loams with a high concentration of humus and minerals like calcium and iron.
The soil must be well-manured in order to maintain and restore fertility and improve output. For a variety of tasks, including planting, transplanting, pruning, harvesting, drying, sorting, and packaging, coffee farming requires a large workforce that is both cheap and knowledgeable.
The two main coffee types produced in India, Coffee Arabica and Coffee Robusta, make up 49% and 51% of the land area under coffee, respectively.
Because of the limited agroclimatic circumstances, coffee farms in south India have been compelled to concentrate on a little area made up of hilly terrain surrounding the Nilgiris. Three states, namely Karnataka, Kerala, and Tamil Nadu, share practically all of the output.
With around 70% of the total coffee output and 60% of the area under coffee in India, Karnataka is the top producer. The yield in this state is also the highest, at 10. 3 quintals per hectare. The majority of the 4,650 plantations are located around 1,370 meters above sea level, where the average annual rainfall is 125150 cm.
More than 80% of the state’s total production comes from Kodagu and Chikmagalur. Other major coffee-producing regions include Mysore, Hassan, and Shimoga. Coffee is grown in Kerala, which is the second-largest producer, but its production is still far behind, accounting for only around 23. 27% of the nation’s total. Its output of 7. 9 quintals per hectare is also less than that of Karnataka, which produces 10. 3 quintals per hectare.
In Maharashtra, coffee is also cultivated in the Ratnagiri and Satara regions. Coffee production is being promoted in non-traditional regions like Andhra Pradesh, Orissa, Maharashtra, the northeastern states, and the Andaman and Nicobar Islands in accordance with the national strategy of tribal development.
During the past 50 years, coffee has contributed significantly to the Indian economy among plantation crops. Despite India’s low share of global output, Indian coffee has carved out a niche for itself in the international market, especially Indian Rebustas, which are favored for their high blending quality.
Arab coffee is also popular in the global market. To sum up, Indian coffee is highly sought after on the global market due to its high quality. As a result, India sells coffee to a variety of nations, including the U. S. , the United Kingdom, Russia, Australia, Iraq, and many nations in mainland Europe.
