Robusta – Coffee in Wayanad

Mid December 2018

 

 

Wayanad is located in India’s coffee belt, which includes parts of Karnataka, Tamil Nadu and Kerala. 60% of the coffee plants grown are Robusta – just like in the area of Wayanad. The plants like it shady and they also like the proximity to other crops such as pepper and cardamom. So everything is fine in Wayanad?

 

Unfortunately not….

 

In Wayanad, the majority of people live from agriculture, with coffee being the main crop. This makes them dependent on the world market and the weather. And the price of coffee sometimes plummets, causing some small farmers to go bankrupt. This is what happened between 1997 and 2005, quoting german Wikipedia:

 

‘Between 1997 and 2005, more than 150,000 farmers committed suicide in India, nearly 8 per cent of whom were from Kerala, 90 per cent of them in Wayanad. The reasons for the suicides were primarily the plummeting prices of locally grown crops such as coffee. As a result, the state government decided to provide financial support to the two districts of Wayanad and Palakkad. The number of suicides has fallen since 2005.’

(https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wayanad)

 

Only 3.5% of the global coffee market comes from India. 80% of coffee in India is exported, only 20% remains in the country.

 

Nevertheless, coffee continues to be grown and harvested.

 

 

 

The fruits ripen in December. They are harvested by hand, i.e. the fruits, also known as cherries, are simply plucked from the plant.

 

 

 

The cherries are then spread out on a sunny surface and left to dry.

 

 

 

There they rest a week and then are ready for transport.

 

 

Now they are more like coffee beans. Further processing, i.e. roasting and grinding, takes place in a mill. The coffee growers usually keep a small portion for themselves, the rest is sold.

 

My homestay family in Mothakkara produces around 1,500 kg of coffee a year. One kilo currently fetches Rs. 80, i.e. 1 Euro. An annual income of 1,500 Euros is not really much.

 

The coffee I was given to drink is very finely ground and dissolves – almost like instant coffee. Only it tasted much better. This is also because they mix it with a little cardamom (also home-grown). And so I was delighted with every cup or glass I received.