Research on Sustainable Livelihood for Small Coffee Growers of India

PiC’s initiatives in the coffee sector are aimed at helping the marginalized groups in the supply chain by helping small coffee growers get fair returns for their coffee beans.

The marginal coffee growers in India are going through a prolonged crisis due to low returns from the coffee beans they produce. In real money terms the coffee producing Third World earned $ 10 billion by selling coffee to the TNCs in 1992. In that year the TNCs who processed coffee and sold it to consumers earned $30 billion. In 2002 while TNC retail sales exceeded $ 70 billion, coffee producing countries could earn only $5.5 billion. A comprehensive research has been initiated in collaboration with Dutch Coffee Coalition, Netherlands, focused on small growers of four regions in India (West Bengal, Assam, Kerala and Tamil Nadu). The analysis of the research focuses to understand the status of small growers in tea industry and suggest policy implementation. The objectives of the research are:

  1. Tracing the history and the present status of the small growers and workers attached to the small gardens in India.
  2. Examine the land use pattern and socio-economic background of the small growers.
  3. Assess the supply chain models and the various intervention points to make a platform for the sustainability of the tea industry especially of small growers.
  4. Identify the problems, priorities and possible solutions for the sustainable well being of the small growers.

For more information please contact, Shatadru Chattopadhayay (shatadru.chatopadhayay@picindia.org)