Six months of incessant rains between May and mid-November wreaked havoc on coffee plantations and as a result coffee production in India will fall by 30,000 tonnes this year, according to the Karnataka Planters’ Association (KPA), a body that represents coffee growers in Chikkamagalur, Hassan and Kodagu country, which accounts for 70% of the total coffee production in Kodagu districts.
The country’s coffee production for the 2025-26 crop year is likely to be 3,73,000 tonnes, while the Coffee Board estimates the post-bloom yield at 4,03,000 tonnes, the KPA said.
This year’s Arabica crop will be in the range of 1 to 1.2 million tonnes (versus the Coffee Board’s estimate of 1,18,125 tonnes), while Robusta production will be in the range of 2.6 to 2.7 million tonnes (versus the Board’s estimate of 284,875 to 284,875 tonnes). The growers’ body shared its latest yield estimate for the year at a media conference held in conjunction with KPI’s 67th Annual General Meeting in Chikmagalur on Monday.
A. Aravind Rao, Chairman, KPA, said the new estimate is based on the standing harvest (Arabica, whose harvest has just begun and Robusta, whose harvest is scheduled for mid-December), after incessant rains, constant cold weather and lack of sunlight between May and mid-October wreaked havoc on coffee plantations, leading to leaf and stem rot and subsequent berry drop and drop berries.
Addressing the media, Mr. Rao said the coffee production scenario for Karnataka in the year was characterized by resilience in Robusta production but volatility in Arabica production, mainly due to the impact of erratic weather patterns.
Based on USDA Foreign Agricultural Services (FAS) projections, Karnataka continues to dominate national production, but the overall picture is mixed, he said.
Of the country’s total coffee-producing area of 4.65 lakh hectares, Karnataka accounts for 2.46 lakh hectares, while the rest of India grows coffee under 2.19 lakh hectares of land. “Karnataka grows 70% of the country’s coffee. But in the last 20 years, production and area under cultivation has been declining, mainly due to extreme weather conditions,” lamented Mr. Rao.
On the major challenges facing the coffee sector, Mr. Rao said the impact of climate change on coffee in Karnataka is significant and serious. Global warming with unpredictable rainfall has caused extreme drought, landslides and soil erosion, damaging crops, depleting soil and severely impacting plant health and yields.
On the weak global branding of Indian coffee, he said, “Our coffee brand has very low recognition and value in the international markets, which needs to be significantly improved with post-harvest processing techniques and quality parameters.”
According to Mr. Rao, the KPA had already made a representation to the Finance Ministry to exclude the plantations from CIBIL as the plantations were agricultural in nature.
The KPA has asked the government and the Coffee Board to allocate a separate budget to deal with pest and disease problems such as White Stem Borer. “Although some work is being done, no concrete solution has yet been found for this deadly pest that is destroying large areas of Arabica plantations,” the KPA chairman noted.
The KPA requested the government to allocate budget for critical repairs and maintenance of roads across plantations in Chikkamagalur, Hassan and Kodagu as these districts faced unique challenges including difficult terrain, high rainfall, landslides, topsoil erosion and the creation of ubiquitous potholes.
Banks continue to harass coffee farmers; they demand immediate government intervention
More than 2,000 coffee farmers in Karnataka Kodagu, Hassan and Chikkamagaluru may have an estimated outstanding loan of ₹ 400-500 crore and many of them are currently facing various kinds of harassment from banks that continue to probe the provisions of the SARFAESI Act, according to multiple Hindu spokespersons.
The law allows banks and other financial institutions to auction the properties of defaulters to recover loans, hence many individual farmers insisted that it was essential for the Union government to step in and create a way out for all affected farmers.
Some farmers have taken advantage of the One Time Settlement Scheme (OTS) of the Ministry of Finance and paid off part of all their debts. However, a large majority were unable to pay and these growers received auction notices from the banks.
Published – 17 Nov 2025 21:16 IST
