BANGALORE: The Coffee Board’s ambitious replanting programme is expected to kick off by June 2008, according to Jairam Ramesh, the Union minister of state for commerce. Currently, large tracts of India’s coffee plantations are under ageing plants which impact productivity and are not resistant to newer mutating pathogens.
Mr Ramesh, who was present at the launch of the new Arabica planting material ‘Chandragiri’, expects that one-third of the area under coffee would be under the new variety over the next 10 years. “Our aim over the next five years is to build our seed production capability,” he added.
The variety, named after the Chandragiri hill ranges in the state, is the first to be developed by the Central Coffee Research Institute (CCRI) after a gap of 21 years. It is a hybrid, derived by crossing Villa Sarchi, which is a semi dwarf mutant of Bourbon coffee, and Hibrido de Timor and is resistant to coffee leaf rust. By adopting regular cultivation practices, this variety can yield 1,150-1,800 kg coffee per hectare.
Mr Ramesh said CCRI was collaborating with the Centre for Cellular & Molecular Biology, Hyderabad, Madurai Kamaraj University (MKU) and UAS, Bangalore, to sequence the coffee genome, which would help develop varieties resistant to moisture stress.
Meanwhile, noted agri scientist MS Swaminathan called for a “humane” touch to agriculture and stressed the need to look at the human being (grower). At the launch function of a new variety of Arabica coffee planting material, he added the National Policy on Agriculture had suggested the “people” focus.
“We need a paradigm shift in our approach to agriculture and move from a commodity-centred focus to one where the farmer is the pivot. The way forward is on small farm management,” he added. He suggested coffee growers (bulk of whom have small landholding) could form small holders society and look at opportunities in areas like green agriculture. Unlike organic agriculture, green agriculture would allow the use of appropriate genetically-modified crops.
He said higher productivity in the agriculture sector could be only achieved through improvement in soil health and water management. Mr Swaminathan noted that while quality had become the byword to promote exports, Indian agriculture produce needed to adopt the same strategy while addressing the domestic market.
“Close to 94% of India’s agriculture produce is consumed locally. One can’t fathom why quality is not promoted while selling produce here,” he added. He indicated agencies like the Central Coffee Research Institute (CCRI) need to have policies which encouraged research and arrested attrition among the scientists.
Mr Ramesh, who was present at the launch of the new Arabica planting material ‘Chandragiri’, expects that one-third of the area under coffee would be under the new variety over the next 10 years. “Our aim over the next five years is to build our seed production capability,” he added.
The variety, named after the Chandragiri hill ranges in the state, is the first to be developed by the Central Coffee Research Institute (CCRI) after a gap of 21 years. It is a hybrid, derived by crossing Villa Sarchi, which is a semi dwarf mutant of Bourbon coffee, and Hibrido de Timor and is resistant to coffee leaf rust. By adopting regular cultivation practices, this variety can yield 1,150-1,800 kg coffee per hectare.
Mr Ramesh said CCRI was collaborating with the Centre for Cellular & Molecular Biology, Hyderabad, Madurai Kamaraj University (MKU) and UAS, Bangalore, to sequence the coffee genome, which would help develop varieties resistant to moisture stress.
Meanwhile, noted agri scientist MS Swaminathan called for a “humane” touch to agriculture and stressed the need to look at the human being (grower). At the launch function of a new variety of Arabica coffee planting material, he added the National Policy on Agriculture had suggested the “people” focus.
“We need a paradigm shift in our approach to agriculture and move from a commodity-centred focus to one where the farmer is the pivot. The way forward is on small farm management,” he added. He suggested coffee growers (bulk of whom have small landholding) could form small holders society and look at opportunities in areas like green agriculture. Unlike organic agriculture, green agriculture would allow the use of appropriate genetically-modified crops.
He said higher productivity in the agriculture sector could be only achieved through improvement in soil health and water management. Mr Swaminathan noted that while quality had become the byword to promote exports, Indian agriculture produce needed to adopt the same strategy while addressing the domestic market.
“Close to 94% of India’s agriculture produce is consumed locally. One can’t fathom why quality is not promoted while selling produce here,” he added. He indicated agencies like the Central Coffee Research Institute (CCRI) need to have policies which encouraged research and arrested attrition among the scientists.
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