After taking into consideration the post-blossom coffee loss, the Coffee Board has placed the post-monsoon crop estimate for 2014-15 at 3,31,000 tonnes , according to statistics released by the board on Thursday.
There is a reduction of 13,750 tonnes (3.99 per cent) compared to the crop assessments carried out for 2014-15 during the post-blossom stage, which was 3,44,750 tonnes. Initially, the post-blossom estimate was put at an all-time high of 3,50,000 tonnes for the year, but owing to delay in receiving backing showers, many coffee areas in the State witnessed an abnormally long dry period. Due to this, the Arabica crop saw an increased white stem borer infestation, resulting in heavy losses.
Of the total estimate of 3,31,000 tonnes, the Arabica production is estimated at 99,600 tonnes, while that of Robusta is 2,31,400 tonnes. The Arabica production estimate has shown a decline of 5,900 tonnes (5.59 p.c.) while Robusta declined by 7,850 tonnes (3.28 p.c.) over the post-blossom estimate of 2014-15.
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Similar to last year, after witnessing a long period of drought (after receiving backing showers), the coffee areas experienced continuous heavy rainfall especially in Karnataka, resulting in soil saturation and wet feet conditions. Defoliation and incidences of stalk rot and black rot led to crop losses, especially in Robusta in Karnataka.
When compared to the final estimate of 2013-14 (which was placed at 3,04,500 tonnes), the present post-monsoon estimate (2014-15) shows an overall increase of 26,500 tonnes (8.7 p.c.). However, in terms of Arabica, the production estimate has shown a marginal decline of 2,600 tonnes, while Robusta has shown an increase of 29,100 tonnes.