India slips to 7th rank in global coffee production

Despite increasing production, India was pushed below small countries like Republic of Honduras

India’s ranking among the top coffee producing countries slipped to seventh despite a marginal rise in production in 2012, from sixth in the previous year.

In 2012, the coffee output increased 0.48 per cent to 5.25 million bags (each bag has 60 kg), compared with 5.23 million bags in the previous year. With this, India’s share in global production stands at 3.6 per cent, while Honduras’ share is 3.7 per cent.

Honduras, a Central American country, which was behind India till 2010, has improved its ranking to the sixth position even after recording a 5.35 per cent drop in production to 5.4 million bags from 5.7 million bags in the previous year.

According to the International Coffee Organisation (ICO), the total coffee production in the world increased 7.18 per cent to 144.06 million bags in 2012 against 134.41 million bags in the previous year. Brazil reported an increase of 7.3 million bags to 50.8 million bags, Indonesia gained 2.3 million bags to touch 10.9 million bags while Ethiopia added 0.5 million bags to 6.5 million bags.

The area under coffee planting and bearing area in India has shown an upward trend, due to the expansion of cultivation in non-traditional areas. This suggests that growth in production was on account of area increase rather than productivity increase.

According to the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO), the yield level in India at 837.8 kg per hectare in 2011 was much below the Vietnam yield level of 2,187.9 kg per ha and Brazil’s 1,256.7 kg per ha.

Interestingly, a comparison of productivity levels in 1971 vis-à-vis 2011 clearly suggests that India (-2.72 per cent) and Indonesia (-13.01 per cent) are the only two countries that have reported decline in the yield levels in the last 40 years. Lower productivity in India is due to limited mechanisation, pest infestation and labour shortage.

“Relatively better coffee prices have prompted the growers to follow better agronomic practices and thereby higher crop production. But on the productivity side, much more needs to be done and towards this, concerted efforts are required, both at the policy level and at farm level,” said the latest annual report of the United Planters’ Association of Southern India (Upasi).

Upasi is the apex body of four major plantation crops—coffee, rubber, spices and tea—in south India.

Among the countries ahead of India, only Vietnam reported a decline of 2.1 million bags to touch 22 million bags of coffee production in 2012. Also, most Central American countries reported lower crop.

“The crop decline was due to pre-seasonal rains during the coffee blossoming period, while in Central America, the outbreak of coffee leaf rust was considered the worst ever recorded. Production was severely affected and its likely impact on the forthcoming crop is also anticipated to be worse,” the Upasi report said.

The damage caused by coffee leaf rust in Central America was compensated by record production from Brazil, which also ensured its undisputed reputation in the world coffee scene with a share of 35.3 per cent. Brazil was followed by Vietnam in the second position with 15.3 per cent, while Indonesia retained its third slot by improving its share at 7.6 per cent.

In Colombia, the coffee industry is still experiencing difficulties, particularly as a result of the outbreak of the coffee berry borer, which may further delay a return to the country’s normal production levels.

“The production prospects for the 2013 season are somewhat mixed due to the changes in the weather pattern across major exporting countries, which may have an adverse effect on the final crop. In Brazil, the crop is anticipated to be record higher for an off-year in the biennial cycle, and as per the CONAB, the Brazilian crop forecasting agency, the crop is anticipated to be in the region of 46.98 million bags to 50.4 million bags,” the Upasi report said.