Coffee planters want quick nod for 12th Plan proposals

The proposals for the sector are presently before the Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs for final approval

Coffee planters have urged the finance minister to immediately notify the 12th Plan proposals for the coffee sector without reducing the plan expend- iture. The proposals for the sector are before the Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs for final approval.

The approval has been delayed for more than two years and this has caused a lot of hardship to the planters who are interested in making new investments, said D Govindappa Jayaram, Chairman, Karnataka Planters’ Association (KPA), in a statement.

“Coffee planters are financially in a very unenviable situation, with low yields and high input costs. The only way they can increase their yield is by making capital investments, which requires subsidy,” he said.

He said, planters have delayed the purchase of pulping equipment such as eco / dry pulpers hoping to get subsidy. Other pollution abatement equipment, which are expensive, are also being postponed. This does not bode well for the ecological balance of the Western Ghats, Jayaram said.

With the monsoon playing truant, the possibility of the water table going down and the flow of rivers / streams reduced, there is an urgent need to dig tanks for rainwater harvesting, and for use for irrigation in the following year. The new technology introduced to Indian coffee, that of drip irrigation, will play a very important roll in increasing productivity of Robusta, he said.

Due to the terrain of plantations, “pressure compensated” valves are needed which are very expensive and they will become unavoidable to maintain economic viability. These investments are also being delayed, he said.

“Considering the very high incidence of white stem borer, replanting of Arabica plots is becoming all the more necessary as the older plants and varieties of Arabica are more susceptible to the pest. Undoubtedly, the research of the Coffee Board will also suffer if funding of projects are delayed,” Jayaram added.

Meeting on White Stem Borer Jayaram also thanked the Coffee Board Chairman and Director of Research, Coffee Board for convening an interaction meeting to discuss research to be undertaken on white stem borer and reformation of the frequently requested Regional Advisory Committee. The meeting was held on July 2, 2014 at the Coffee Board, which discussed in detail various issues pertaining to tackling white stem borer and steps to be taken in the future.