India’s Chattogram hilly farmers achieve milestone with successful cultivation of robusta,arabica coffee

INDIA – Farmers in the hilly regions of Chattogram have reached a significant milestone by successfully cultivating ‘Robusta’ and ‘Arabica’ coffee varieties for the first time, marking a notable advancement in the area’s agricultural sector.

According to the Department of Agriculture Extension (DAE) in Chattogram, 51,750 coffee seedlings have been planted over the past five years across 46.69 hectares of hilly land in nearly 50 orchards spanning five upazilas. About one-third of these plants have begun bearing fruit.

The coffee trees, planted about two years ago, have borne fruit this year, and farmers are now harvesting between 1-1.5kg of coffee beans per tree. After drying, this is expected to yield 400-600g of coffee powder per tree.

Officials project a harvest of approximately 3 tonnes of coffee beans this year, with yields expected to increase to 5-6 tonnes next year.

The soil and climate in Bangladesh’s hilly regions are ideal for coffee farming, and it can also be grown alongside other crops like mango, lychee, banana, or papaya.

Recently, the Statista site stated that India is the sixth largest producer of coffee in the world, with production dominated in the hill tracts of South Indian states, with Karnataka accounting for 71% (Kodagu district alone produces 33% of India’s coffee), followed by Kerala with 21% and Tamil Nadu (5% of overall production with 8,200 tonnes).

Custom Market Insights projects India Coffee Market valued at US$478 billion in 2022 and is to reach US$1.227.47 billion by 2032 at a CAGR of 9.87% during the forecast period 2024-2033.

Expanding coffee farming in the region could meet domestic demand, create export opportunities, and help save foreign currency spent on coffee imports.

Import data show that the country imports three types of coffee—instant, bean, and roasted. In 2012, 264 tonnes of coffee were imported, but over a decade, this rose dramatically to 1,767 tonnes in the 2021-22 fiscal year, with an average annual growth rate of 56%.

However, imports slightly decreased in the following years, dropping to 1,732 tonnes in FY2022-23 and further to 1,439 tonnes in FY2023-24. Despite this decline, the DAE reports that the country’s annual coffee demand remains around 2,000 tonnes.

Under the coffee and cashew cultivation expansion project, launched in FY2019-20, the DAE has cultivated coffee on 46.69 hectares in hilly areas of Chattogram’s Sitakunda, Hathazari, Fatikchhari, Rangunia, and Raozan upazilas.

The project has provided farmers with free seedlings, fertilizers, pesticides, and other essential resources.

DAE officials said coffee can be planted between other trees like mango, lychee, banana, or papaya. Coffee plants grow up to 5.5 feet tall and require minimal care.

 Project Director Shahidul Islam said that there are around five lakh hectares of unused land in Bangladesh’s three hill districts. “If we cultivate coffee on one lakh hectares of this land, it could produce two lakh tonnes of coffee, worth an estimated Tk8,500 crore.”

In FY2019-20, the DAE produced 55.75 tonnes of coffee beans from 118.3 hectares across seven upazilas in Bandarban. By FY2021-22, production rose to 58 tonnes, increasing further to 62 tonnes in 2022-23 and 67 tonnes in 2023-24.

Sitakunda Upazila Agriculture Officer Mohammad Habibullah told TBS, “Around 7,500 coffee plants have been intercropped in nine orchards across eight unions on 11.6 hectares of land. While the yield was low last year, this year has shown significant improvement.”

“Encouraged by this year’s harvest, many farmers are now interested in growing coffee.”

DAE Chattogram Additional Deputy Director (Crop) Md Omar Faruk said, “Based on the success of coffee farming in the Chittagong Hill Tracts, a project was launched to expand coffee cultivation in Chattogram.

He explained that producing seedlings is inexpensive, no special land is needed, and coffee requires minimal care, making it a profitable crop, adding that the market price is good, and the quality of coffee from this region is excellent.

Faruk noted that last year, coffee from a plantation near Boga Lake in Bandarban was tested and the Food and Agriculture Organization recognized it as the second most delicious coffee in the world. This recognition motivates us to expand coffee farming.

Several coffee processing factories have been established in the country, and North End Coffee Roasters is working on branding Bangladeshi coffee.

“The pilot project started in the 2019-20 fiscal year and will conclude this year. If the government launches a new project to expand coffee farming across all hilly regions, we could meet domestic demand and start exporting,” Faruk said.

The DAE is also running a project called “Cashew and Coffee Research, Development, and Expansion” with a budget of Tk211 crore for the 2021-2025 period.

The project aims to develop high-yielding plant varieties, transfer technology, and train farmers across 88 upazilas in 28 districts. It also includes training on processing and marketing these crops.

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