ISRO, Coffee Board tie up to assess coffee's carbon footprint
The
Indian Space Research Organisation
(
ISRO
) is helping the
Coffee Board of India
to quantify the
carbon footprint
of coffee and assess the
carbon sequestration
potential of the crop.
'Collaborative studies with Isro have been initiated to quantify carbon sequestration in shaded coffee plantations in India,' said M Senthil Kumar, director of research, Coffee Board, adding that Isro is collecting data.
The aim is to quantify the carbon footprint of coffee in the backdrop of the EU's Deforestation Regulation, which requires firms to ensure that products exported to the EU have been grown on land which has not been deforested after December 31, 2020.
The regulation has implications for India's coffee, cocoa, soya, wood products, rubber and its products, and leather goods exports. For non-compliance, it prescribes fines up to 4% of a firm's annual turnover in the EU and confiscation of products and revenue gained from a transaction.
Senthilkumar said that nutrient formulations and organic supplements have been evolved for sustainable coffee nutrition, and these initiatives have led to India's coffee exports in FY25 rising by 40% year-on-year to $1.8 billion.
India's coffee production reached 363,000 tonnes in FY24.
'We have come out with a formulation to improve yield and increase the number of berries and retention of berries. There are three high yielding varieties on which the
Coffee Board
is doing multi location trials,' he said.
The board has released 13 Arabica and 3 Robusta varieties of coffee and will be applying for geographical indications for two varieties. At present, GI tags are granted for Coorg Arabica, Bababudangiri Arabica, Chikmagalur Arabica, Araku Valley, and Wayanad Robusta coffees.
Officials said that 490,000 hectares of land is under coffee plantation across 12 states, of which 30% is Arabica variety and 70% is Robusta.
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