Dr. Y. Raghuramulu
1. Introduction
Coffee was reportedly introduced into the Western Ghats region of Sou.th India circa 1600 AD and it remained a garden plant until the 18th century. Commercial cultivation began during the 1820's, initially with arabica coffee which gained wide acceptance among the growers. Subsequently, with the outbreak of major pest white stem borer and leaf rust disease during 1880's arabica cultivation faced serious problems and there was a threat of arabica holdings being wiped out as happened in Sri Lanka.
Fortunately, timely remedial measures in the form of tolerant varieties and disease control sprays helped in sustaining coffee cultivation during the early 19th century. This period also saw the introduction of disease and pest tolerant robusta into the country, which became popular in the subsequent decades due to its relative ease in cultivation (Anon.2000).
Today the coffee industry has a prime place among the plantation crops in India. It is cultivated mainly in the traditional states ofKarnataka, Kerala and Tamil Nadu and to a small extent in non-traditional areas such as Andhra Pradesh, Orissa, and seven North Eastern States (Assam, Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Tripura, Nagaland and Arunachal Pradesh). India has the distinction of cultivating both arabica and robusta almost in equal proportions. In 2004-05, coffee was cultivated on 350,000 ha of which arabica and robusta accounted for 48% and 52% respectively. Annual average production is around 280,000 to 300,000 MT, with India's share of global coffee production and exports of approximately 4.5% and 4.0% respectively (Table 1).
Coffee cultivation in India is primaily a rural based agro-industry, in which nearly 93% of the holdings belong to small and tribal growers "4ha). Indian coffee industry is
* Part of the case study report submitted to the 'ICO-CFC-JOFT Pilot project on potential for Diversification in coffee producing countries implemented by Natura Resources Institute, u.K.
Table 1: Area, Production of Indian coffee in different states and share in the world market
| States |
Area(ha) |
Production (MT) |
% share in World Production. |
% share in World Exports |
| - |
Arabica |
Robusta |
Total |
Arabica |
Robusta |
Total |
- |
- |
| Karnataka |
109,424 |
95,098 |
204,482 |
79,175 |
120,050 |
199,225 |
- |
- |
| Kerala |
4,095 |
80,549 |
84,644 |
1,375 |
58,800 |
60,175 |
- |
- |
| Kerala |
4,095 |
80,549 |
84,644 |
1,375 |
58,800 |
60,175 |
- |
- |
| Tamilnadu |
25,108 |
5,556 |
30,664 |
15,150 |
4,400 |
19,550 |
- |
- |
| NTA's |
30,667 |
3,383 |
34,050 |
2,850 |
100 |
2,950 |
- |
- |
| Total |
168,294 |
184,546 |
353,840 |
98,550 |
183,350 |
281,900 |
4.07 |
4.38 |
Source: Anon.2006. Database on Coffee. Economic & Market Intelligence Unit, Coffee Board of India. March 2006. 92p
characterised by marked cultural dualism between subsistenceoriented small growers and marketoriented large and corporate producers. The coffee industry provides direct employment to nearly 0.5 million workers in coffee estates excluding family labour and indirect employment to an equal number in processing and trade (Anon.2006).
Coffee in India is also unique in that almost all coffee is shade grown. Owing to the peculiar agro-climatic conditions prevailing in India, such as wide range of fluctuations in day temperatures and monsoon driven rainfall pattern with a drought period of3-5 months, there is a compulsion to grow coffee under shade so as to maintain an ideal microclimate for coffee bushes. While cultivation under shade offers distinct advantages, it also inhibits overall productivity when compared to coffee grown under open conditions as in some countries such as Brazil and Vietnam etc. Also shaded conditions are not amenable to the mechanization of field operations due to interference of shade trees. Thus to a large extent, coffee cultivation in India remains a traditional agriculture activity.
Cultivation under shade also offers several advantages for coffee cultivation. Apart from providing a suitable micro-climate for coffee bushes, shade trees prevent soil erosion, improve soil fertility by way of organic matter contribution, and act as a powerful tool for managing the major pests and diseases. Certain type of shade trees like Jack, Gooseberry, soapnut etc., provide additional income and most of the tall growing shade trees are used to train pepper vines. Shaded coffee plantations/ holdings play a significant role in preservation of eco-system in the ecologically fragile Western and Eastern Ghats of the country. Shade trees also meet the fuel wood requirements of people living on coffee estates, apart from being source of income through timber in the year of shade regulation i.e., thinning of shade to obtain optimum shade levels suitable for coffee.
2. Specific Diversification Initiatives
2.1 Horizontal diversification in itiatives
2.1.1 Early developments in diversification of coffee holdings
Diversification of coffee holdings with different compatible crops originated in India much before any systematic initiatives by any agency due to the prevailing conditions and necessities of the coffee growers. The shade grown conditions in coffee holdings are ideal for cultivation of many fruit and cash crops and spices. Besides, the typical characteristic of small, fragmented holdings in hilly areas, which are not amenable for intensive cultivation, also necessitated the need for growing multiple crops in coffee holdings. Moreover, the soil and climatic conditions prevailing in the coffee areas, especially in the Western Ghats are ideally suited for a wide variety offruit and spice crops. Here the strategy has been to grow compatible crops that have varying canopy and root structures in a manner that their canopies intercept sunlight at varying heights and their roots tap moisture and nutrients from different depths of soil without interfering with the growth of coffee. The earliest reference on mixed cropping of cardamom in coffee holdings dates back to 1951 (Mayne, 1951 ).
Thus, most of the diversification efforts were made by coffee growers themselves in the early years. Cultivation of oranges (Coorg mandarins) originated in Coorg district of Kamataka. Black pepper was popular in Wynaad district of Kerala and bananas in the Pulneys region of Tamil Nadu. The orange crop had been wiped out from the Coorg district of Karnataka by the 1980's mainly due to an outbreak of greening disease, also known as citrus decline. But orange has become an important intercrop in arabic a plantations in Pulneys and Sheveroys regions of Tamil Nadu. Likewise, banana was wiped out for a considerable period in the Pulneys region mainly due to bunchy top virus, but thankfully the crop has been resurrected successfully in this region due to the availability of disease free planting material and effective control measures against bunchy top disease. Black pepper has become the most common intercrop in all coffee plantations in India except in high elevations.
2.1.2 Project on agricultural development of small coffee farms
The earliest initiative on diversification of coffee holdings in India, mainly as a research initiative, was launched by the Coffee Board of India in 1973 through a pilot project on agricultural development of small coffee farms, with an objective of improving the overall productivity of the farming unit by increased production of coffee using modem scientific methods and also to convert the farms into economically viable units by introducing other crops to supplement overall income. The project was funded by the Diversification Fund of the International Coffee Organization. Under the project, a diversification fann was established in Chettalli village of Coorg district, Karnataka during 1973.
In this diversification farm, two major experiments were initiated to study the feasibility and economics of cultivating different crops (mixed cropping) with coffee. The first experiment was on diversification of coffee with already known associate crops like mandarin orange, black pepper and banana with both arabica and robusta either grown individually or in combination with other crops. In the second experiment, the multi-storeyed cropping pattern combined with strip planting was adopted so that the coffee, shade trees and associate crops were grown in organised strips to facilitate individual management of coffee and other crops and to reduce competition/interference among various crops. In both these experiments, various annual/short term crops including ginger, turmeric, pineapple, banana, papaya, cotton, and vegetables were cultivated with the objective of studying their suitability in young coffee and to realise some supplementary income during the pre-bearing stage of coffee (Hanumantha Rao, 1975).
Apart from initiating field experiments on diversification in coffee, the planting material of orange, black pepper, banana, arecanut, pineapple etc., were supplied to small coffee holdings free of cost to encourage mixed croppmg.
Results of experiments on Diversification
During the initial three years of planting coffee, an income of INR 15,000/- per hectare was obtained including coffee and other annual/ short duration crops (Hanumantha Rao, 1978). Over a period of 14 years of experimentation, it was well established that black pepper was the most suitable mixed crop in both arabica and robusta coffee with a cost-benefitratioof1:3.1 and 1:2.29 respectively in arabica + pepper and robusta + pepper combinations. Orange was found to be compatible only with arabica coffee with a costbenefit ratio of 1: 1. 86. Arabica was found to be compatible with a combination of pepper, orange and banana with a cost: benefit ratio of 1 :2.20 while in case of robusta the same combination was found to bring down the cost benefit ratio to 1: 1.32 indicating the suppression effect of too many intercrops on robusta performance ~Anon.2005).
The Coffee Board also implemented a scheme for encouraging pepper as an intercrop in coffee. The scheme was implemented with the help of Spices Board of India under which pepper nurseries were raised in all the Technology Demonstration Farms of Coffee Board and the rooted pepper cuttings were supplied to coffee estates at very low cost. Today, cultivation of black pepper as an intercrop is a common feature in many coffee estates across all the major regions. In fact, coffee holdings/ plantations contribute nearly 60% of the country's pepper production.
2.1.3 Studies on mixed cropping of pepper, coorg mandarin and cardamom in robusta coffee
Korikanthimath and others carried out another study on mixed cropping in coffee in Coorg district of Karnataka during 1990-91 to 199394 with perennial crops such as pepper, Coorg mandarin and cardamom. The results of this 4 year study clearly brought out that there will be staggered income spread over 10 months in a year when coffee is grown with pepper, cardamom and coorg mandarin. Mixed cropping also had a higher benefit-cost ratio of 3.10 as against 1.99 in case of mono- cropping of robusta coffee (Korikanthimath et al 1998).
