Coffee Board promotes Indian brand identity as 70% of coffee exports lack common branding

Balehonnur(Chikkamagaluru): Nearly 70% of the 3.6 lakh tonnes of coffee produced annually in India is exported to more than 170 countries without a common Indian brand identity, Coffee Board Chairperson M J Dinesh said on Monday.

Addressing a gathering at the Coffee Research Station (CRS) auditorium near Seegodu in Balehonnur, Chikkamagaluru Dinesh said the India Coffee App had been launched to bring coffee growers onto a common platform and encourage them to export coffee under a unified Indian brand.

He said the app had received an encouraging response from the farming community.

With his three-year tenure as Coffee Board chairperson set to end on November 5, Dinesh highlighted 30 initiatives undertaken during his tenure, focusing on coffee growers, marketing and the wider coffee industry.

For the first time, supervisor courses and a diploma programme in coffee estate management had been introduced, attracting interest from other states. The Board had also initiated the production of tissue-culture coffee plants, which were nearing release, while production had been increased through accredited clonal nurseries.

Dinesh said a new building had been constructed at the CRS to replace the structure damaged in a Naxalite attack in Andhra Pradesh 15 years ago. The building is expected to be inaugurated shortly.

The Board had established more than 170 Farmer Producer Organisations (FPOs) across the country, benefiting around 34,000 farmers. These organisations receive a 70% subsidy from the Coffee Board, he said.

Highlighting the benefits of such support, Dinesh cited the example of the Chandradrona FPO in Chikkamagaluru district. With assistance from the Board, its members participated in a coffee exhibition in Japan and received a positive response.

He also noted that two Arabica coffee varieties, Suraksha and Shatabdi, had been released for the first time in 18 years.

The initiatives, he said, were aimed at strengthening the coffee sector by supporting growers, improving cultivation practices and expanding marketing opportunities for Indian coffee in domestic and international markets.