The CEO of the Coffee Board of India, K G Jagadeesha, stated on Thursday that the World Coffee Conference-2023 in Bengaluru will finally provide India with the well-deserved acknowledgment for its sustainable cultivation of top-quality coffee. He emphasized that India produces some of the world’s finest coffee that remains unparalleled by any other nation, yet it has not received the international recognition it rightfully deserves until now.
“If you look at Indian coffees, we are the ones who grow coffee under shade. Our coffees are the most sustainable ones because we create forests to grow them. It’s something which is remarkable about Indian coffees,” Jagadeesha said in a press conference.
Speaking to journalists at the conclusion of the four-day World Coffee Conference, which attracted attendees from more than 80 countries, he highlighted that the event featured a total of 45 sessions. These sessions included contributions from 127 speakers, with 80 of them being international experts and 47 hailing from the national domain.
Dwelling further on Indian coffees, the Coffee Board CEO said, “Nobody can compete with Indian Robusta. In terms of Arabica, we are as good as Colombian coffees. But if you see in the global market, have we got our due recognition for our coffees? You go to any of the European cafes and see the menu, there is no Indian coffee at all. So India never got its due recognition for growing such sustainable and high quality coffees,” Jagadeesha said.
He expressed optimism that the conference would contribute to establishing a distinct identity for Indian coffee.
“This event is definitely going to open doors in the respect that India is a country that grows coffee in a more sustainable manner. India is a country which grows some of the finest coffees in the world,” the Coffee Board CEO explained.
Jagadeesha noted that the event would play a pivotal role in enhancing consumers’ perception of Indian coffee, potentially resulting in improved pricing. Additionally, he emphasized that it would facilitate the discovery of long-term solutions to the various challenges confronting the coffee sector. According to the CEO of the Coffee Board, the four-day conference featured a remarkable total of 347 business-to-business meetings and numerous informal gatherings.
People expressed their satisfaction with the establishment of such a platform, which provided them with valuable leads to foster stronger business connections. According to Jagadeesha, the prevailing sentiment was that India had set a noteworthy example for the world to follow.
“We have declared that India is one of the important coffee producing countries, that Indian coffee sector is very vibrant and we have arrived on the global map. Our presence was really strong earlier also. This has further enhanced the image of India as a producer of some of the finest coffees of India and a country with a vibrant coffee sector,” he noted.
The Coffee Board of India had appointed three universities as knowledge partners in each of the conferences, Jagadeesha said, adding that these universities will later bring out details of the proceedings of this event, which will be be published in the next few weeks.
