Saturday 15 November
2008, San José, Costa
Rica
Finally A Price Drop We
Can Begin To Live With
Prepaid Cellular
Service Coming Soon, "Veremos" On New
Lines
Ticos Less Hopeful
Of Economic Future
India To Become A
High Grade Coffee Importer
Betancourt's Ex-Husband Is New French
Ambassador to Costa Rica
|
India To Become A
High Grade Coffee
Importer
The head of one of Costa
Rica's largest coffee
firms said Friday that
India, a country that
has traditionally been a
tea drinking nation,
will be an importer of
high grade coffee in
five years, as a growing
middle class has
increased the popularity
in coffee shops.
The comment was made by
V.G. Siddhartha, who
heads the Coffee Day
group, during the 22nd
Asociacion Semana
Internacional Del Cafe (Sintercafe)
conference being held in
Costa Rica.
Siddhartha added India
will see a sharp rise in
per capita coffee
consumption in coming
years and may need to
import quality Arabica
coffees.
"You'll run out of
coffee in India in the
next four years because
consumption is growing
so fast and people are
willing to pay for
quality," said V.G.
Siddhartha, who heads
the Coffee Day group.
The company grows,
exports and roasts
Indian coffee though the
Amalgamated Bean Coffee
Trading Company and runs
coffee shops throughout
the country under the
Coffee Day brand.
India grows about 4.7
million 60-kg bags of
coffee a year, mostly
lower quality robusta
beans used in soluble
coffees. Demand
domestically for higher
quality arabicas is
around 1.2 million bags
and rising, Siddhartha
said.
The country should lower
tariffs on green coffee
to allow for more
arabica imports or risk
facing a shortage, he
said. Farmers, instead
of planning more
arabicas, are using the
little available land in
the country to grow
robusta trees, seen as
easier and less costly
to grow, he said.
Coffee consumption in
India is about 85 grams
of coffee per person per
year, Siddhartha said, a
fraction of the around
10 kilograms per year
consumed by people in
Nordic countries. But he
said per capita
consumption in India
should rise to 1
kilogram per year over
the next 15 years.
Arnoldo Leiva, president
of the Costa Rican
Coffee Institute (ICAFE),
said that every “coffee
year” is different, and
2008 has brought several
challenges to our
industry that should be
addressed in detail.
The keynote speaker for
this year's conference
is Ms. Tensie Whelan,
Executive Director of
Rain Forest Alliance,
who will share her
experiences and views on
the true sustainability
path. |
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