Production of Coffee | Crop Plants

In this article we will discuss about the production of coffee.

Coffee production in India is dominated in the hill tracts of Southern India. Karnataka accounting for 53 percent followed by Kerela 28% and Tamilnadu 11% of total 8,200 tonnes. Indian coffee is grown in shade and not in sunlight as elsewhere.

There are approximately 250, 00 coffee growers in India. As of 2009 the production of coffee in India was only 4.5% of the total production is the world. Almost 80% of the country’s coffee production is exported.

Coffee is grown is there regions of India with Karnataka, Kerala and Tamilnadu as traditional areas. But Andhra Pradesh and Orissa are newly developed non-traditional areas and ‘Seven sister states of India” i.e. Assam, Nagaland, Arunachal Pradesh also started growing coffee plants.

The coffee grown is monsoon rainfall condition in Southern India is called “Indian monsoon Coffee”. Its flavor is defined as “The best Indian coffee reaches the flavor characteristics of Pacific coffee, but at its worst it is simply bland and uninspiring”. Different varieties of coffee like Arabica, Robusta and Barista etc., were introduced in the Baba Budan Giri hill ranges of Karnataka in 17^th Century.

History of Coffee is very old. The origin is from Ethiopia to Arabia, mostly to Yemen. The earliest history is traced to 875AD (Bibliotheque Nationale). The original source is Abysinia from where it was brought to Arabia in 15^th Century.

Indian Muslim saint Baba Budan had gone to Mecca for Piligrimage and smuggled seven coffee beans (by tying it around his waist) from Yemen to Mysore in India and planted them on the Chandragiri Hills (1,829 meter or 6,001 ft) now known as Baba Budan giri (after the saint) in Chik manglore district.

At that time there was ban on taking Green coffee seeds out of Arabia. It was considered as an illegal act. As number seven is a sacrosanct number in Islamic religion, the saints act of Carrying seven Coffee beans was considered as religions act. It was beginning of Coffee industry in India.

This was the achievement of considerable bravery of Baba Budan considering the fact that Arabs exercised strict control over its export. The Coffee beans can be exported only in roasted or boiled form to prevent germination.

Baba Budan cultivated the seeds in 1670 and the Systematic cultivation was followed by the private owners and the first plantation was established is 1840 around Baba Budan Giri and surrounding hills in Karnataka.

It spread to other areas of Wynad (part of kerala), the Shevaroys and Nilgiris (in Tamilnadu). Coorg (Karnataka) is having many coffee estates controlled by private as well as Government people Coffee export flourished in 19^th century in British region.

The most tasty and popular Coffee is Arabica but it is highly sensitive to diseases. The Alternating variety is robusta which is resistant to rust of coffee and a large plant.

A hybrid variety of Arabica a liberica is a rust tolerant variety. It gives more than 70 percent production from Karnataka alone. In 1942 Government of India passed coffee VII act of 1942 and Coffee Board of India under Ministry of Commerce and Industry is established.

The government increased their control of Coffee export in India and pooled the coffee of its growers. In doing so they reduced the incentive for farmers to produce high quality coffee, so quality became stagnant.

In 1993 a monumental Internal Sales Quota (ISQ) made the first step in liberalizing the Coffee industry by entitling coffee farmers to sell 30% of their production within India. In 1994 it was amended and Free Sale Quota (FSQ) was permitted to large and small growers to sell between 70-100 % of their Coffee either domestically or internationally. Now the growers can sell their product as and when they want in any amount.

Indian filter coffee is made from dark roasted coffee beans (70%) and Chickory (30%). It commercially is very popular in southern states of India i.e. Andhra Pradesh, Kerala, Karnataka and Tamilnadu. Most commonly used Coffee beans are Arabica and Robusta.

As per Coffee Board of India. The production of Robusta and Arabica Coffee for the “Post-Monsoon Estimation 2009-10″ and Post blossom Estimation 2010- 11” in different states accounted for a total of 308,000 tones and 289,600 tones respectively. As of 2010 between 70 percent and 80 percent of India and 80 percent of Indian grown coffee was exported overseas.

Coffee is a brewed beverage prepared from the roasted seeds of several species of an evergreen shrubs of genus Coffea. The most common species of which high graded coffee is obtained are Coffea arabica and Coffea robusta (a from of hardier Coffea canephora).

This species is resistant to coffee leaf rust (Hemileia vastatrix), but it has more bitter taste. Coffee is slightly acidic (pH 5.0—5.1) and can have stimulating effect on human because of its Caffeine content.

History of  Production of Coffee:

The history of Coffee goes back to thirteenth century with a number of myths around its first use. The original native population of coffee could have come from Ethiopia, Sudan or Kenya. It was cultivated by Arabs from 14^th century.

The earliest evidences of knowledge of coffee tree is from middle of fifteenth century, in the Sufi monasteries of Yemen. By 16^th century it reached the Middle East, Turkey, Persia and North Africa. From there it spread to Italy, rest of Europe, Indonesia and then to America.

The name Coffee was given by English people in 1582 via Dutch Koffee, It was borrowed from Turkish Kahve which was nature borrowed from Arabic qahwa, Quhwa means a truncation of qahhwat al-bun i.e. “wine of the bean”. Another view is that origin of the name is from the Kingdom of kaffa in Ethiopia where it is called as bunna or bunn.

There are many stories of origin of drinking Coffee. Yemenite sufi mystic Cahothul Akbar Nooruddin Abu al Hasan al Shadhili when travelling in Ethiopia, observed birds of unusual vitality, and upon trying the berries that these birds had been eating experienced the same vitality.

Sheik Abou’l Hasan Schadheli’s disciple Oman who was known for his ability to cure the sick through prayer, was once exiled from Mocha to a desert cave near Ousab. Starving Oman chewed berries from nearby shrubbery, but found them bitter.

He roasted the beans to improve flavor but then they become hard. He boiled them to soften resulting in a fragrant brown liquid. Oman was revitalized and sustained for days. It proved to be a miracle drug.

Coffee was mainly consumed in the Islamic world when it first originated and was very directly related to the religion.

The Ethiopian ancestors of today’s oremo ethnic group, were the first to have recognized the energizing effect of native coffee plants. Studies of genetic diversity on arabica varieties found to be the low diversity but which retained some residual heterozygocity from ancestors.

It was closely related to diploid species Coffea canephora and C. liberica. The original domesticated coffee plant is said to have been from Harar, and the native population is thought to be derived from Ethiopia, Sudan and Kenya.

Arab World:

The earliest credible evidence of Coffee was noted by the literary coffee merchant Philippe Sylvestre Dufour is a reference to bunchum in the works of 10^th century CE Persian physician Muhammad ibn Zakariya al-Razi known as Rhazes in the west.

More definite information on the preparation of a beverage from the roasted coffee berries dates from several centuries later. Sufis used it to keep themselves alert during their night time devotions.

The Coffee was spread from Arabia Felix (Now Yemen) northward to Mecca and Medina and then to Cairo, Damascus, Baghdad etc. Coffee seeds were exported first from Ethiopia to Yemen. Tradeers brought coffee back to their homeland and started its cultivation. The first Coffee house was opened in 1554 in Constantinopole.

Coffee was banned is 1511 and 1532 in Mecca and Egypt respectively by some Maulana and Mufti stating it to be a stimulent. Similarly it was banned by Ethiopian Orthodox chemists also before 18^th Century. However later on the bans were overturned.

Europe:

Coffee was first reported as chaube in 1573 by Ottoman Aleppo a German physian and botanist Leonhard Rauwolf. The people of Venice got it in the trade with African goods. The merchants introduced Coffee drinking to wealthy people in Venice and charged heavily for this beverage. The first European coffee house was opened in Venice in 1645.

In Austria the first Coffee house was opened in Vienna in 1683 after the Battle of Vienna. Melange is the typical Viennese Coffee, which comes mixed with hot foamed milk and a glass of water.

France:

Arab physician introduced Coffee to the modern world. In 1669, Soleiman Agha, Ambassador from sultan Mehmed IV arrived is Paris with his entourage bringing with him a large quantity of coffee beans. Between July 1669 and May 1670 the Ambassador managed to firmly establish the custom of drinking coffee among Parisians.

England:

Coffee was brought to England by British East India Company and Dutch East India Company in late 16^th century according to Leonhard Rauwolf. Oxford’s Queen’s lane coffee house was established is 1654.

There were more than 3000 coffee houses throughout England between 1660-1670. These Coffee houses were places of deep discussions etc. Many believe that Coffee has several medicinal properties.

Netherlands:

Dutch in 1616 brought Coffee beans and trees in Netherlands. Pieter Van dev Broecke (Dutch merchant) obtained some Coffee bushes from Mocha, Yemen is 1616 and took them to Amsterdam and planted in the botanical garden. These bushes were of Coffea arabicaa. In 1658 Dutch first used them to begin coffee cultivation in Ceylon (Now Sri Lanka) and later in South India.

America:

Gabriel de Clieu brought Coffee seedlings to Martinique in the Caribbean circa in 1720. Sprouts flourished to more than 50 years and became 18,680 Coffee trees. These were spread to Haiti, Mexico and other Islands of Caribbean.

Coffee had a major influence on the geography of Latin America. Coffee also found its way to the Isle of Bourbon (now known as Reunions), in the Indian Ocean. In this plant the beans are very small, it is a different variety called Bourbon.

Cirea 1727, the King of Portugal sent Francisco de Mello Palheta to French Guinea to obtain coffee to seeds, become a part of coffee market. In 1893 coffee was introduced to Kenya and Tanzania from Brazil. In 1930 Brazil took off as major producer of Coffee, leaving behind their other industries which were taken over by Argentine.

India:

The first evidence of Coffee growing in India is following the introduction of coffee beans from Yemen by Baba Budan to the hills of Chickmagalur in 1670. Since then Coffee plantation has become established in the region, extending south to Kodagu.

Koorg in Karnataka is having many Coffee estates growing Coffea arabica and Coffea robusta. The beans of Coffea robusta are used widely. While Coffea arabica beans are precious and are used by elite people much.

Japan:

Coffee was introduced is Japan by Dutch in 17^th century. This first Coffee house was opened in 1888 in Tokyo. Now in 21st century Japan is one of the leading per capita coffee consumers of the world.

South Korea:

Emperors Sunjong and Gojong preferred to consume it in western style. By 1980s instant Coffee and canned Coffee had become popular, with a more minor tradition of independently owned Coffee houses in Big cities.