Robusta accounts for more than 60% of the coffee-growing area in Karnataka
Due to the vagaries of weather, coffee is ripening much earlier than usual,” said Balakrishna Baluru, president of the Coffee Growers Association’s Mudigere taluk unit.
The govt should come to the aid of growers,” he said. “It is like a premature birth. He warned that premature harvesting would not only compromise quality but also affect plant health and the following year’s crop. “The rainfall deficit has impacted two years’ crops.
Chikkamagaluru: Coffee growers already grappling with losses due to deficient rainfall are now facing a fresh challenge: the premature half-ripening of Robusta coffee cherries, a development they fear will affect both bean quality and next year’s crop yield. The concern among growers is that many of the cherries are only partially ripe. Fully ripened beans are essential for producing high-quality parchment coffee, which commands premium prices in the market. Harvesting half-ripe cherries results in greater weight loss during processing, inferior bean quality and lower returns. The situation has been aggravated by a prolonged rainfall deficit over the past three months. Growers say the lack of moisture has reduced bean size, while in several estates across Mudigere, Chikkamagaluru, Koppa and Narasimharajapura taluks, berries are shrivelling and drying on the plants. Growers attribute the phenomenon to erratic weather conditions, including spells of unseasonal rain followed by bright sunshine during Sept and Oct. They say the rainfall deficit during the crucial berry development stage, coupled with intermittent showers, appears to have triggered the premature colour change.