Madikeri: Unseasonal rains in the coffee growing district of Kodagu have affected harvest and post-harvest activities. The early rains have affected coffee quality and output as well. The district has received heavy rainfall and cloudy weather persisted in the crucial coffee season, affecting coffee drying.

Growers have harvested the crop and have left them in drying yards and with lack of sunlight it is taking more than 25 days for drying one lot of coffee as against the normal 15 days. Even the dried up coffee has a moisture level of 18 to 20 percent as against the normal moisture of 10 to 12 percent. 

Rains have resulted in coffee berries dropping off trees and the emergence of new flowers making it difficult to pick the berries. This is sure to affect the next season’s crop. Apart from the crop damages, the planters are also facing a labour crisis and the falling price of coffee.

The plight of coffee growers was raised in the Legislative Council by Kodagu MLC Veena Achaiah and responding to her queries, Sericulture and Horticulture Minister R. Shankar said that in the current year, 33,631 hectares of coffee has been damaged in Kodagu and Rs. 391.70 crore has been lost. 

“Compensation has been sought from Disaster Relief Fund of the Centre. Till now, as per the guidelines of National Disaster Response Fund and State Disaster Response Fund, a compensation of Rs. 18,000 per hectare has been distributed to 21,496 beneficiaries and the amount runs up to Rs. 27.26 crore,” he said. 

The Minister added that even Coffee Board is assisting the growers who have up to 10 acres of coffee plantation for development works including water supply to the estate, re-growing a damaged estate where 40 percent of the total costs are provided.