<p>Chikkamagaluru: With surging prices of coffee, growers in Chikkamagaluru are in a rush to harvest coffee beans. While labour shortage remains a significant challenge, workers carelessly picking coffee cherries along with the clusters is worsening growers’ woes.</p><p>Shortage of labour for coffee cherry-picking and labourers demanding nearly double wages for harvesting are worrying growers. Many are even struggling to complete the harvest on time.</p><p>Meanwhile, coffee prices have reached new levels that even growers had never anticipated. A loss in Robusta production in Vietnam and Arabica production in Brazil has led to expectations of further rise in prices in the international market.</p><p>At the same time, growers are anxious about the possibility of sudden price drops fearing potential losses. So to capitalise on the current high prices, growers are focusing on harvesting coffee cherries as quickly as possible.</p><p>Owing to a shortage of local labourers, some farmers hired migrant labourers through supervisors to harvest coffee in their plantations. Instead of daily wages, they are paying workers based on the weight of cherries harvested, offering Rs 4 to Rs 6 per kilogram. In sloped plantations, wages can go up to Rs 10 per kilogram, according to the farmers.</p><p>This pay-per-kilogram system is encouraging workers to pick more cherries to maximise their earnings. However, in a hurry to pick more cherries, some workers are plucking entire clusters including tender shoots, and filling the bags.</p><p>Many growers noticed the broken clusters and realised the problem only when they emptied the cherries for drying.</p><p>“When workers harvest cherries along with clusters, the branches of coffee plants dry up. These dried branches do not regrow which could severely affect the next year’s yield,” growers said.</p><p>They added that identifying skilled labourers is nearly impossible, and accusing the labourers may result in them refusing to return to the plantations, further disrupting the harvest. Since mechanical harvesting is not feasible, growers are left relying entirely on manual labour. But they are now worried about how to save their plants from the labourers.</p>
<p>Chikkamagaluru: With surging prices of coffee, growers in Chikkamagaluru are in a rush to harvest coffee beans. While labour shortage remains a significant challenge, workers carelessly picking coffee cherries along with the clusters is worsening growers’ woes.</p><p>Shortage of labour for coffee cherry-picking and labourers demanding nearly double wages for harvesting are worrying growers. Many are even struggling to complete the harvest on time.</p><p>Meanwhile, coffee prices have reached new levels that even growers had never anticipated. A loss in Robusta production in Vietnam and Arabica production in Brazil has led to expectations of further rise in prices in the international market.</p><p>At the same time, growers are anxious about the possibility of sudden price drops fearing potential losses. So to capitalise on the current high prices, growers are focusing on harvesting coffee cherries as quickly as possible.</p><p>Owing to a shortage of local labourers, some farmers hired migrant labourers through supervisors to harvest coffee in their plantations. Instead of daily wages, they are paying workers based on the weight of cherries harvested, offering Rs 4 to Rs 6 per kilogram. In sloped plantations, wages can go up to Rs 10 per kilogram, according to the farmers.</p><p>This pay-per-kilogram system is encouraging workers to pick more cherries to maximise their earnings. However, in a hurry to pick more cherries, some workers are plucking entire clusters including tender shoots, and filling the bags.</p><p>Many growers noticed the broken clusters and realised the problem only when they emptied the cherries for drying.</p><p>“When workers harvest cherries along with clusters, the branches of coffee plants dry up. These dried branches do not regrow which could severely affect the next year’s yield,” growers said.</p><p>They added that identifying skilled labourers is nearly impossible, and accusing the labourers may result in them refusing to return to the plantations, further disrupting the harvest. Since mechanical harvesting is not feasible, growers are left relying entirely on manual labour. But they are now worried about how to save their plants from the labourers.</p>