Koraput: Koraput coffee which has carved a niche for itself on the world map has been hit hard by climate change, a report said. It seems that global warming has affected the coffee plants badly as the output has decreased considerably. This has prompted the officials of the Koraput Coffee Board to replace plants that are 20 to 25 years old in various plantations of the district to combat the adverse impacts of climate change. The board is working hard to prevent the plants from getting affected due to climate change, PRO, Upendra Shah informed. The immunity and output of a coffee plant decline as it ages. The output from a coffee plant reduces substantially when it attains the age of 25 years. Keeping this in mind, the authorities are pruning the tip of the plants to achieve better output.
However, when this procedure is failing to increase production, the plants are being uprooted and replaced by new ones, Shah informed. A new coffee plant starts bearing beans within three to four years after it is planted. Officials at the Koraput Coffee Board are hopeful that within the next few years, the new plants will play a major role in increasing production and help in reducing losses. Shah informed that the board is providing financial assistance for the upkeep of the coffee plants to individual farmers. He stated that the aid is helping farmers recover from their losses and going a long way in enhancing their livelihood.
More than 3,500 hectares of land in this district are now being used for growing coffee. Close to 5,000 farmers including tribals earn their livelihood from coffee plantations. It has transformed the lives of people in the district, Koraput Coffee Board officials said.