Big coffee planters in Karnataka see relief, but small planters continue to face labour shortage

Small coffee planters are urging the government to support mechanisation and automation to address labour shortages.

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Karnataka’s big coffee planters, reeling under years of labour shortage, are enjoying a welcome respite this harvest season as migrant workers arrived in sufficient numbers to meet the demand even as coffee prices have hit a record high this year, offering a financial cushion to growers after years of challenges.

For the past five years, coffee plantations in Kodagu, Chikkamagaluru, and Hassan districts have grappled with a labour crisis during the crucial November-to-March harvest period. Planters heavily rely on migrant workers, primarily from Assam and West Bengal, with smaller contingents from Tamil Nadu, Kerala and north Karnataka. However, the COVID-19 pandemic, lockdowns, and state and general elections in those States disrupted the arrival of these workers, exacerbating the shortage.

“We’ve seen a good inflow of labourers from Assam and West Bengal, unlike in recent years,” said Kaibulira Harish Appaiah, former president of the Kodagu Growers’ Association and executive committee member of the Kodagu Planters’ Association.

“All the elections in these States are over. There is no pandemic. This has ensured that workers can travel to Karnataka without disruptions. Coupled with record-high coffee prices, growers are hopeful that this will help recover from the losses incurred over the last 15 years, and help them reinvest in their estates,” he added.

However, workers from Tamil Nadu and north Karnataka have dwindled, opting for construction jobs in urban areas, such as Bengaluru. “These sectors offer regular work and comparable wages, pulling workers away from coffee estates,” said Mr Appaiah.

Kiran Hegde, a planter from Sakleshpur in Hassan, said, “Coffee harvesting is physically demanding and requires precision, which is why we rely on trained workers. The return of migrant workers has brought some relief, but it’s been a tough few years for all of us. If these high prices sustain, it might just give us the breathing room we desperately need.”