Cuppas only can lead to turnaround: coffee growers

Bangalore, Feb 22: If five per cent of people in the country start consuming coffee, the Indian Coffee Industry, now in doldrums, will achieve a turnaround, according to Arehally Coffee Co-operative Society president K M Rajegowda.

Speaking to newspersons here, Mr Rajegowda said growers will be immensely benefited if five per cent of the total population start consuming the commodity helping India become the top coffee consuming nation in the world.

To help them face the crisis, the coffee growers have decided to form the co-operative society and start marketing coffee products directly to the consumer. He said the society has introduced its own brand 'Copsy Coffee' and started opening outlets across the State.

''The Copsy Coffee brand developed by the society offers best quality besides competitive price to the consumers,'' he said yesterday. The society had also taken several initiatives to popularise organic farming which fetched better and attractive prices at the global level.The society also collected cardamom, honey and pepper from its members for selling them directly to consumers.

Stating coffee growers were suffering a lot due to fall in the prices at global markets and finding it very difficult to get remunerative price for the produce, he said the attempt at direct marketing had fetched the desired results.

He hoped the concept would become popular in the coming days proving beneficial to the consumers and the growers.

Replying to a questions, Mr Rajegowda said last year the society sold over 4,000 tonne of Arabica coffee. This was likely to double in a couple of years, he added.

UNI