Growing coffee a ‘laborious’ task!

The Borer disease has been a nemesis for Arabica Coffee planters for close to a century in coffee growing areas of Hassan, Chikkamagaluru, Madikeri, parts of Mysuru and Chamarajnagar districts.

Explaining the reasons for the White Stem Borer taking a toll on Arabica coffee plantations year after year, a Coffee Board senior official told Deccan Chronicle, “Time and again, we ask coffee planters to take-up spraying or brushing of lime water mixture on the stem and leaves of Arabica plants but that has not been followed by the planters. Planters are also asked to identify Borer infested plants and destroy such plants by burning them at regular intervals among other measures.”

Coffee Board officials say that not all planters would follow the suggestions while coffee planters ask “Where are skilled labourers to carry out all the remedial measures suggested by the Board which are labour oriented?”

A coffee planter, Dharmaraj, who owns 58 acres of coffee plantation at Honkaravalli near Sakleshpur in Hassan, says the problem of skilled labourers worry planters. Nowadays, labourers in coffee plantations are from Assam, Odisha and others parts who have no knowledge on maintenance of coffee plantations, adding to the woes of the planters.

Apart from shortage of skilled labourers, Dharmaraj observes that it is time for the coffee planters to shift to newer varieties introduced by the Coffee Board such as Chandragiri which is a high yielding variety and a disease resistant one. Another coffee planter Jagannath of Ballupet in Hassan observes that labour dependency has increased and labourers too have become too expensive. He wants the government to give thought to the plight of the coffee planters.

On the issue of shortage of skilled labourers, a senior Coffee Board official said, “We are imparting training to labourers and to the new generation of planters to identify Borer infested plants through videos and by conducting training sessions.”