The Coffee Board is coming out with a sustainability code for Indian coffee, according to K.G. Jagadeesha, Chief Executive Officer and Secretary of the Board.
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Mr. Jagadeesha told The Hindu, on the sidelines of the annual conference of United Planters Association of Southern India in Coonoor on Monday, that Indian coffee was grown uniquely in the midst of thick flora and fauna, hand picked and sun dried.
But, the features were not highlighted when the coffee was shipped. Though several international certifications were available, these were not affordable for the farmers and do not guarantee them higher price.
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“So, we thought we should come out with a code. This is about sustainable practices and not quality and the aim is to create a brand image for Indian coffee. We are developing a code which will be made available to farmers through extension workers and associations,” he said.
The Board has prepared the draft and is talking to global agencies to develop it into a programme. The code is likely to be implemented in the next six to 12 months.
On price volatility, Mr. Jagadeesha said frost had affected Brazil crop and hence, Indian coffee had good prices this year. This trend is expected to continue for a couple of years and the focus during this period should be on improving quality, he said.
The post blossom estimates for coffee for 2022-2023 is 3.93 lakh tonnes, which is 51,000 tonnes more than 2021-2022. Exports in 2021-2022 stood at 4.19 lakh tonne and if there is no crop damage because of monsoon during the next two months, exports were expected to be the same or better than last year, he added.