Lok Sabha Question No. 978 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2018-12-17
Subject: Assistance to Coffee Growers
Ministry: COMMERCE AND INDUSTRY
Asked by: PRATHAP SIMHA, SHOBHA KARANDLAJE

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF COMMERCE & INDUSTRY (DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE)

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 978 TO BE ANSWERED ON 17 th  DECEMBER,2018

## ASSISTANCE TO COFFEE GROWERS

978. SHRI PRATHAP SIMHA:

KUMARI SHOBHA KARANDLAJE:

Will the Minister of COMMERCE & INDUSTRY ( वा ͨणÏय एवं उɮयोग मंğी ) be pleased to state:

- (a) whether the coffee growers have sought interest waiver on loans for heavy loss they incurred after floods damaged their plantations in Karnataka and Kerala;
- (b) if so, the details thereof and the response of the Government thereto;
- (c) whether  the  coffee  board  has  assessed/estimated  the  loss  and  damage  to  Coffee States, coffee crop and infrastructure due to floods and if so, the details thereof;
- (d) whether the Government has constituted a joint task force to address the concerns of flood-hit coffee growers and if so, the details thereof; and
- (e) whether it is a fact that 3.43 lakh coffee growers in Karnataka are facing pending loans cumulatively amounting up to Rs. 6,000 crore, and if so, the corrective steps being  taken  by  the  Government  to  address  the  issues  of  coffee  growers  in  the country?

## ANSWER

okf.kT; ,oa m|ksx ea=ky; esa jkT; ea=h ¼Jh lh- vkj- pkS/kjh½

THE MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF COMMERCE AND INDUSTRY (SHRI C. R. CHAUDHARY)

(a) to  (d)  Representations  have  been  received  from  various  stakeholders  including  Coffee Growers'  Associations namely  Karnataka  Growers  Federation  (KGF)  and  Codagu  Planters Association (CPA) inter alia, seeking interest waiver on loans taken by the Coffee growers in view of the loss incurred and damage caused to their plantations due to heavy floods in Karnataka and Kerala.

With  a  view  to  address  the  issues  raised  by  the  coffee  growers/stakeholders,  the  Central Government has taken up the matter with Government of Karnataka and suggested constituting a  Task  Force  under  the  Chairmanship  of  Chief  Secretary  of  Karnataka  to  assess  the  extent  of damage due to natural calamity and suggest suitable measures to redress these issues.

The Coffee Board, along with Revenue, Agriculture and Horticulture Departments of Government of  Karnataka,  conducted  detailed  scientific  assessment  of  damage  due  to  heavy  rains  in  the district  of  Kodagu,  Hassan  and  Chikkamagaluru  and  submitted  the  assessment  report  to  the concerned  Deputy  Commissioners,  Government  of  Karnataka.  In  respect  of  Kerala,  a  detailed scientific assessment was conducted by Coffee Board and a detailed report was submitted to the Government of Kerala.

The details are as under:-

| State     |   Area affected by crop loss of > 33% (ha.) |   Amount of eligible claims for crop loss of > 33% (Rs. Crore) |   Coffee area damaged due to landslides & floods (Ha.) | Total coffee crop loss occurred due to heavy rains (MT)*   |
|-----------|---------------------------------------------|----------------------------------------------------------------|--------------------------------------------------------|------------------------------------------------------------|
| Karnataka |                                       99984 |                                                         128.04 |                                                  550   | 60,103                                                     |
| Kerala    |                                       10308 |                                                          18.55 |                                                   73.6 | 9256                                                       |
| Total     |                                      110292 |                                                         146.59 |                                                  623.6 | 69359                                                      |

(e)        As  per  the  information  provided  by  State  Level  Bankers  Committee,  Karnataka  as  on 13.06.2018,  there  are  outstanding  loans  amounting  to  Rs.5944.51  crores  by  210346  coffee farmers.    On  pursuance  of  the  Coffee  Board,Government  of  Karnataka  has extended  relief of loan waiver to coffee growers farmers at par with other agriculture loans.

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