India plans to grow coffee exports

8 December 1999



India plans to grow coffee exports

INDIAS coffee producers are being encouraged to look abroad in the face of growing output and a zero-growth domestic market for their product.

Production this year is expected to reach a record 282,000 tonnes, with 300,000t expected to be reached in a couple of years.

But just 60,000t is accounted for by domestic demand.

Side by side with the export initiative are plans to raise the quality, particularly in the post-harvest and processing stages.

The Coffee Board is trying to stop the growth of unlicensed curing factories and hulling units. Many licensed curing units have failed to win approval.

India, which became the 14th member of the Association of Coffee Producing Countries in September, has been given an export quota of 3m bags of 60kg each for 1999-2000 and the next year.

• Financial Times 08/12/99 page 46