The falling price of Robusta coffee, erratic rain in the midst of harvest, and dearth of workers are deepening the worries of coffee farmers in Wayanad, a major coffee growing region in the State.
The spot prices of Robusta coffee and raw cherry on Saturday in the Wayanad market was ₹62 to ₹64 a kg as against ₹71 to ₹72 a kg a month ago. Whereas the price of Robusta coffee beans (cleaned coffee) declined from ₹125 a kg to ₹115 a kg.
The price of a kilogram of coffee beans in the market now is almost equal to the price in 1995, but the daily wage of a worker has gone up from ₹35 to ₹400 a day, says Victor Day, vice president, Wayanad Coffee Growers Association (WCGA).
Coffee production has improved this year, but dearth of workers, especially women, is a matter of concern in the district after the the COVID-19 outbreak, Mr. Victor Day said.
The inflow of labourers from Gundlupet and Coorg of Karnataka during the coffee harvesting season also decreased considerably…
