CCRI releases high yielding variety of Robusta and Arabica Coffee Plants

New Delhi: Commerce and Industry Minister Nirmala Sitharaman has announced Wednesday here in Rajya Sabha that the Central Coffee Research Institute (CCRI) of Coffee Board is releasing high yielding and disease resistant varieties of Arabica and Robusta from time to time. In Arabica, ‘Chandragiri’ a semi-dwarf variety with high degree of field tolerance to leaf rust disease and high yield potential has been released for commercial cultivation during 2007-08 season.

Three genotypes of Arabica have been given for multi-location trials in growers’ field during 2014-15. CCRI has developed and refined the clonal propagation techniques. It has supplied around 1, 62,000 rooted clones of hybrid variety to the growers’ from 2014-15 onwards.

The improve hybrid variety of Robusta coffee plants have been developed by CCRI. This variety is most preferred among the growers just because of its high yield potential and quality of beans. Also, CCRI has taken up the development of drought resistant variety of Robusta.

Training programmes are organized to build the capacity of growers in clonal production methods. Clonal nurseries have been set up in about 10 estates with the technical support of CCRI. Efforts are being made to involve the unemployed youth and self-help groups for clonal multiplication of Robusta coffee.

Coffee Board is also implementing Integrated Coffee Development Project under which various interventions such as research & development, technology transfer, capacity building, replacing the old unproductive varieties with improved high yielding/disease tolerant varieties, water augmentation and mechanization. All they are undertaken for the overall improvement of production, productivity and quality of coffee.