Tea & coffee

tea INDIA – LARGEST TEA PRODUCER IN THE WORLD. OTHER IMPORTANT PRODUCERS – CHINA AND SRI LANKA. TEA – PLANTATION AGRICULTURE GEOGRAPHICAL REQUIREMENTS – TEMPERATURE = 20 TO 35 DEGREE CELSIUS – FROST DAMAGES THE CROP RAINFALL = HEAVY RAIN BETWEEN 150 TO 350 cm & WELL DISTRIBUTED RAINFALL THROUGHOUT THE YEAR. SOIL = LIGHT LOAMY SOIL- RICH IN HUMUS AND IRON CONTENT – TEA IS SOIL EXHAUSTING CROP AND HENCE FREQUENT USE OF CHEMICAL FERTILIZERS AND MANURE IS ESSENTIAL.

METHODS OF TEA CULTIVATION GROWN ON HILL SLPOES BECAUSE STAGNANT WATER IS HARMFUL TO THE ROOTS OF THE PLANT AND ON HILL SLOPES WATER DRAINS AWAY EASILY AND DOES NOT LEAD TO WATER LOGGING. PROLONGED DRY SEASON IS HARMFUL FOR THE PLANT. HIGH HUMIDITY AND HEAVY DEW ARE FAVOURABLE FOR THE CROP AND LEAD TO RAPID GROWTH OF YOUNG LEAVES.

TWO METHODS USED FOR TEA PLANTATION TRANSPLANTATION METHOD – SEEDS SOWN FIRST IN A SMALL PLOT OF LAND OR NURSERY AND ALLOWED TO GROW FOR 9 TO 12 MONTHS INTOSEEDLINGS BY PROVIDING GOOD DOSES OF FERTILIZERS. HEALTHY SEEDLINGS ARE PICKED FROM THE NURSERY BED AND TRANSFERRED TO THE TEA ESTATE. CLONAL PLANTING – CUTTINGS FROM GOOD HIGH YIELDING MOTHER PLANTS ARE USED. TEA BUSHES ARE PLANTED IN ROWS ABOUT A METRE APART. ROWS OF SHADY TREES ARE PLANTED IN ADVANCE TO PROTECT THE PLANT FROM THE HOT SUN. THESE ARE CALLED AS SHELTER BELTS.

PRUNING PRUNING OF THE PLANT IS ESSENTIAL BECAUSE – IT LEADS TO GROWTH OF NEW SHOOTS WITH SOFTER LEAVES. KEEPS THE PLANT ABOUT 1 TO 1.2 m HIGH SO THAT LEAVES CAN BE PLUCKED EASILY.

HARVESTING TEA SHRUBS TAKE THREE TO FIVE YEARS TO MATURE AFTER WHICH THEY PRODUCE SHOOTS KNOWN AS “FLUSH” FLUSH CONSISTS OF TWO TENDER LEAVES AND A BUD. THE FINEST TEA IF OBTAINED FROM FLUSH. PLUCKING BELOW THE FLUSH IS NOT DONE AS THE THIRD LEAF IS COARSER AND DOES NOT RESULT IN GOOD TEA.

PROCESSING OF TEA 1. WITHERING – DONE TO REDUCE MOISTURE CONTENT AND MAKE THE LEAVES SOFT AND FLEXIBLE. THE LEAVES ARE SPREAD OVER SHELVES AND HOT AIR IS BLOWN OVER THEM. 2. ROLLING – DONE TO GIVE TEA ITS SPECIAL FLAVOUR. LEAVES ARE TWISTED WHICH BREAKS THE CELL AND THEN THEY ARE CRUSHED BETWEEN ROLLERS TO SQUEEZE OUT THE JUICES. 3. FERMENTATION – THE TANIN CONTENT OF THE TEA IS PARTLY OXIDISED CHANGING THE COLOUR OF THE LEAVES TO COPPER RED. THIS PROCESS IS COMPLETED UNDER CONTROLLED TEMPERATURE AND HUMIDITY. 4. DRYING / FIRING – LEAVES ARE PUT ON A CONVEYER BELT AND SLOWLY PASSED THROUGH AN OVEN HAVING A TEMPERATURE OF 70 TO 75 DEGREE CELSIUS TO DRY THEM AND GIVE A BLACK COLOUR. 5. SORTING – LEAVES ARE SORTED OUT ACCORDING TO THEIR SIZE. 6. BLENDING – TASTE OF THE TEA DIFFERS ACCORDING TO GEOGRAPHICAL CONDITIONS. TO MAINTAIN A CONSISTENCY OF FLAVOUR TEA LEAVES ARE MIXED TOGETHER.

IMPORTANCE OF TEA MAJOR PLANTATION CROP OF INDIA. LABOUR INTENSIVE CROP – PROVIDES EMPLOYMENT TO OVER 20 LAKH WORKERS. INDIA – LARGEST PRODUCER AND CONSUMER OF TEA BRNGS VALUABLE FOREIGN EXCHANGE FOR INDIAN ECONOMY.

AREAS OF PRODUCTION ASSAM – LARGEST PRODUCER WEST BENGAL COMES SECOND AND TAMIL NADU THIRD. MAIN TEA GROWING AREAS – HILL SLPOES IN BRAHMAPUTRA AND SURMA VALLEYS IN ASSAM, WESTERN GHATS IN TAMIL NADU , KARNATAKA AND KERALA.

COFFEE ONE OF THE OLDEST PLANTATION CROPS OF INDIA. THREE VARIETIES GROWN IN INDIA – ARABICA – MOST IMPORTANT IN WORLD TRADE. FINEST COFFEE FOR FLAVOUR. MORE THAN 70 PERCENT OF COFFEE PRODUCED IN INDIA IS ARABICA VARIETY. IS OF SUPERIOR QUALITY AND MOST EXPENSIVE.

ROBUSTA AND LIBERICA ROBUSTA – LESS COST OF PRODUCTION. HIGH YIELD PER ACRE. CHEAPER AT PRICE. LIBERICA – USED TO MAKE INSTANT COFFEE.

GEOGRAPHICAL REQUIREMENTS OF COFFEE CROP IS A TROPICAL HIGHLAND CROP. IS BEST GROWN AT ALTITUDES RANGING FROM 1100 m TO 2400 m TEMPERATURE = MEAN MONTHLY TEMPERATURE RANGING FROM 14 DEGREE CELSIUS TO 26 DEGREE CELSIUS. BRIGHT SUNLIGHT AND WARM WEATHER NECESSARY FOR HARVESTING AND PREPARATION OF BERRIES. THE PLANT CANNOT TOLERATE FROST, SNOWFALL, HIGH TEMPERATURE ABOVE 30 DEGREE CELSIUS AND IS GENERALLY GROWN UNDER SHADY TREES TO AVOID STRONG SUNSHINE.

RAINFALL /SOIL / SHADE RAINFALL = NEEDS RAINFALL RANGING FROM 125 TO 250 cm. WELL DISTRIBUTED RAINFALL NEEDED THROUGHOUT THE YEAR. AS STAGNANT WATER IS HARMFUL TO THE CROP, THE COFFEE CROP IS GROWN ON HILL SLOPES. SOIL = GROWS WELL IN DEEP, POROUS SOIL WITH HIGH HUMUS CONTENT. SOIL MUST BE PROPERLY MANURED TO RETAIN FERTILITY. IN INDIA COFFEE IS GROWN ON RED AND LATERITE SOIL. SHADE = PLANTS SHOULD BE SHELTERED FROM DIRECT SUNLIGHT, ESPECIALLY WHEN YOUNG. COFFEE BUSHES ARE GENERALLY PLANTED UNDER THE SHADE OF TALLER PLANTS LIKE BANANAS, SILVER OAK AND JACKFRUIT.

PROBLEMS OF COFFEE CULTIVATION LOW YIELD OF COFFEE IN INDIA AT PRESENT. QUALITY OF COFFEE IN INDIA FLUCTUATES YEAR TO YEAR DEPENDING ON CLIMATIC FACTORS. COFFEE BOARD SET UP FOR DEVELOPMENT OF COFFEE INDUSTRY – EFFORTS MADE TO INCREASE YIELD/ INTRODUCING HIGH PLANTS / BETTER MANAGEMENT TECHNIQUES/ IMPROVED USE OF MANURE AND PESTICIDES.

METHODS OF COFFEE CULTIVATION 1. SOWING = TRANSPLANTATION METHOD – SEEDS SOWN IN SMALL PLOTS OR NURSERY AND ALLOWED TO GROW FOR 9 TO 12 MONTHS INTO TINY SEEDLINGS BY PROVIDING FERTILIZERS. THE HEALTHY, WELL DEVELOPED SEEDLINGS ARE PICKED FROM NURSERY BEDS AND TRANSFERRED TO COFFEE ESTATE. PLANTING USUALLY DONE IN RAINY SEASON. TREES LIKE SILVER OAK, KACKFRUIT PLANTED IN ADVANCE TO PROVIDE SHADE TO THE PLANTS. ORANGE TREES, PEPPER VINES, CARDAMOM ALSO PROVIDE ADDITIONAL INCOME TO THE ESTATE OWNER.

HARVESTING / PROCESSING/ SORTING / ROASTING HARVESTING = COFFEE PLANTS ARE USUALLY FIVE TO SIX YEARS OLD BEFORE THEY BEGIN TO BEAR COFFEE BERRIES. ONLY RED BERRIES ARE PICKED. SHRUBS YIELD FOR 30 TO 50 YEARS. BERRIES PLUCKED BY HAND. BRANCHES THAT HAVE BORNE FRUIT ARE PRUNED EVERY YEAR. PROCESSING/ SORTING/ ROASTING = BERRIES ARE PROCESSED TO OBTAIN COFFEE BEANS. BEANS ARE SORTED ACCORDING TO SIZE AND QUALITY. THEY ARE THEN ROASTED TO GIVE A BROWN COLOUR, PLEASING AROMA, FLAVOUR AND TASTE. THE MORE FRESHLY ROASTED THE BEANS, THE BETTER THE COFFEE.

PROCESSING OF COFFEE TWO METHODS OF PROCESSING – WET OR PARCHMENT METHOD – BEANS ARE RUN THROUGH A SERIES OF FERMENTING AND WASHING TANKS. THEY ARE THEN DRIED AND LEFT TO CURE FOR MANY DAYS. HULLING MACHINES REMOVE THE PARCHMENT. DRY AND NATIVE METHOD – BERRIES ARE DRIED IN THE SUN TO REMOVE THE OUTER COVERING. THE SEEDS ARE THEN POUNDED TO REMOVE THE PARCHMENT LIKE SKIN.

AREAS OF COFFEE PRODUCTION KARNATAKA – LARGEST PRODUCER TAMIL NADU , KERALA, ANDHRA PRADESH FOLLOW.