THE current global price level of coffee appears to have infused a sense of satisfaction among the growers in Kodagu district of Karnataka, which accounts for 40% of India's coffee production. With the picking of arabica, which ripens ahead of robusta, just starting across the entire district, prices of both varieties have started to look up after a prolonged lull over the past six years. Crop production for 2005/06 is now forecast lower than pre-season estimates because of heavy unseasonal rains, particularly under the influence of the north-east monsoon... Read More