Coffee Growing Requirements
Coffee plants require a hot and humid climate.
Temperature 15°C to 28°C, and Rainfall 150 to 250 cm.
Dry weather is necessary at the time of ripening of the berries.
Well drained, loams containing a good deal of humus and minerals like iron and calcium are ideal for coffee cultivation.
Coffee can be grown on lots of soils but the ideal types are fertile volcanic red earth or deep sandy loam.
Coffee Growing Areas in India
Coffee is traditionally grown in the Western Ghats of India, which are located in the states of Karnataka, Kerala, and Tamil Nadu.
The majority of the world's coffee production, or about 70%, is produced in Karnataka.
Along with the North East states, coffee cultivation is also expanding quickly in Andhra Pradesh, Odisha, and other non-traditional regions.
Blossom showers
It is a colloquial term to describe the occurrence of pre-monsoon rainfall.
Sometimes, these rains are referred to generically as ‘April rains’ or ‘Summer showers’.
They are notable across much of South and Southeast Asia, including India and Cambodia.
In southern Asia, these rains greatly influence human activities because of the control the rains have on crops that are culturally significant like mangoes and coffee.
These rains normally occur from March to April, although their arrival is often difficult to predict.
Their intensity can range from light showers to heavy and persistent thunderstorms.
In India, the blossom showers occur as the result of thunderstorm development over the Bay of Bengal.
They are also known as 'Kaal Baisakhi' in Bengal, as Bordoisila in Assam and as Cherry Blossom showers or Coffee Showers in Karnataka.
Towards the close of summer, pre-monsoon showers are common, especially in Kerala, Karnataka and parts of Tamil Nadu.
They help in the early ripening of mangoes and are hence often referred to as "Mango showers."
Why it is in news?
India’s coffee crop witnessed a 20% drop in yield so far this year due to deficit rainfall.
The blossom showers were delayed.
In Karnataka we got only 50% of the expected rains.
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