KATHMANDU: Despite having a big possibility of growing more coffee in Nepal, the actual production is much less than the expected level. The coffee cultivation in Nepal started a decade after 1990 but its commercial production started only in 2028 BS. According to a study, not less than 11 lakh hectares of land in Nepal can be put to coffee cultivation.

There are 32 districts growing coffee at present on the topography having elevation from 800 meters to 1600 meters. Amongst all these districts, Ilam and Taplejung in east and Arghakhanchi and Pyuthan in the west grow coffee at commercial scale. Agriculture and Livestock division, Central Bureau of Statistics (CBS) of Nepal has made its survey report public with regard to coffee production for the year 2075/76 BS. The survey report says that a total of 6,346 farmers across 32 districts of Nepal are involved in coffee cultivation at the commercial level on not less than 973 hectares of land area. All put together, total production of coffee reaches to 1573 metric tons. The present survey has counted only those farmers who have grown at least 50 coffee plants.

Coffee production in different provinces

The CBS has revealed in its report that though coffee production over the years has attracted many new farmers, only a few provinces such as province number 1, 2, 3 and 5 along with Gandaki are taking lead. Of all the provinces in Nepal, Province-3 tops the list as a total of 757.8 metric tons coffee were grown in concluding the fiscal year on the land area of 423.4 hectares involving 2758 farmers.

Province-3 takes a lead among all other provinces when it comes to total numbers of farmers involved in coffee production and total annual yields of coffee. District wise profile in coffee production projects Kavrepalanchok as a top performer as the district produced 221 metric tons as the coffee cultivation survey, CBS shows. Syangja stands at second with an annual yield of coffee production to the tune of 158 metric tons followed by Sindhupalchok with 141 metric tons.

There are 10 prominent coffee grower districts such as Dhankuta, Sankhuwasabha, Bhojpur, Ilam, Taplejung, and others in Province-1. Not less than 569 farmers on 120.5 hectares of land area are involved in the cultivation of coffee to produce a yield of 103.6 metric tons. Similarly, at least eight districts such as Gorkha, Myagdi, Kaski, Syangja, and others of Gandaki Province have engaged around 1,872 farmers on 281.4 hectares of land area to produce 422.4 metric tons of coffee, says the CBS report year 2075/76 BS.

Province-5 has 4 coffee growing districts: Pyuthan, Gulmi, Arghakhanchi, and Palpa. Not less than 1,148 farmers are cultivating coffee on the land area 147.2 hectares to produce a total of 289.7 metric tons of coffee in this province. As a whole, a total of 15,73636 kg of coffee was produced across the 32 districts of Nepal.

Expenditure incurred in coffee cultivation

Among other extra expenses, the coffee cultivation has its own set of essential input cost to be borne by the farmers on buying coffee seeds and natural/artificial fertilizers. The CBS survey says that Rs 256,3000 was spent on buying coffee seeds and the same amount was spent on the purchase of fertilizers besides other related purchases which incurred the cost to the extent of Rs 9177000. The survey further says that wages to coffee farmers and other laborers incurred the cost of Rs 27937000.

How profitable is the coffee cultivation?

Coffee plants are to be saved from excessive sun and water. A variety of green vegetables are grown in and around to hide the coffee plants from side-effects of sun and water. Coffee plants require proper shading to be provided by green vegetables. Even these green vegetables generate incomes for the farmers along with coffee. Both the coffee plantation and vegetable growing grow side by side in the same piece of land. Vegetables providing shades to coffee plants generate Rs 294,29000 as annual income to coffee growers and vegetation grown at the bottom (foot) of coffee plants generate the annual income of Rs 160,75000.

Commercial farming of coffee began in 2027 BS. The meager one percent of total farmers in Nepal had opted to go for coffee cultivation before 2040 BS. However, the percentage of farmers opting for coffee cultivation increased in coming years like 4% from 2040 to 2049 BS, 17% from 2060 to 2070 BS and finally rose to more than 50% from 2060 to 2070 BS. Out of these 50% farmers, 11% rely on just coffee farming as the main source of their income while 39% farmers are engaged in some other economic activities besides being the coffee farmers, says the CBS Survey.

Coffee growers’ appeal to the government

Coffee growers have placed a 10-point-demands before the government for promotion of cultivation of coffee in the country. Standard quality of technological assistance, irrigation facility, special training for learning coffee cultivation and facilitating a national and international level market for the sale of coffee are some of the prominent demands raised by the coffee growers of Nepal.

Coffee growers have asked for grants, financial assistance, loans at easy terms, facilities for coffee seeds, fertilizers and insecticides amongst their demands. Modern agricultural tools and technology, fair price fixation and insurance of their crops are their other demands.