Coffee output in 2013-14 likely to be same as last year's

New Delhi, May 30. Coffee production in India is expected to be stagnant at last year's level of 5.2 million bags in the 2013-14 marketing year, a USDA report said today. One bag contains 60 kgs. A slight increase in arabica output is likely to be offset by a small dip in robusta production as rising inputs costs are expected to hit yields, the report noted. India's coffee production in marketing year 2013-14 (starting October) is forecast at 5.2 million bags, similar to the 2012-13 level, the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) said in its report. According to the USDA, Indian producers are gradually shifting to robusta production because it requires less labour and offers higher disease resistance. Robusta production accounted for nearly 70 per cent of the total coffee production in 2012-13. As per Coffee Board's post monsoon estimate, coffee production is pegged at 5.25 million bags for 2012-13 marketing year ending September 2013. Unseasonal sporadic rainfall during the beginning of the harvest in January-February months followed by prolonged dry weather from mid-March somewhat affected the quality of beans in Arabica growing regions, but trade sources indicate that this is not a major issue for marketing the crop, the report said. India accounts for about four per cent of world coffee production and exports. Production is mostly confined to the southern states of Karnataka, Kerala and Tamil Nadu. The report highlighted that Indian growers are gradually shifting towards replanting to replace their ageing plantations at an annual rate of 2-3 per cent per year which leaves a difference of approximately 40,000 ha between harvested and planted area. New-crop arrivals normally begin at the end of December, peaking from March to May. However, arrivals during April were slow according to trade sources, it said. Coffee cultivation is being promoted in tribal regions of Andhra Pradesh, Orissa, and the North-Eastern states with the objective of providing economic opportunity to low income residents of rural areas and afforestation, it added.