Whats industry doing to promote coffee drinking?
We were invited two years ago to participate in a sub-committee constituted by the Coffee Board to put together a domestic promotion plan. And we sought a reasonably small amount of money of Rs 6 crore per annum for five years which would help bring back consumption in the Indian market. The plan sought to take the consumption level from the current 55,000 tonnes per annum to 80,000 tonnes in five years. That would mean per capita consumption would go up to 70 gm from 54 gm now. Incidentally, per capita consumption of tea in India is 592 gm. In the promotion plan, we have proposed marketing of coffee in non-traditional coffee areas like north India, where an average person drinks only half-a-cup of coffee every year. Besides, we have suggested a plan to change coffee’s image to that of a young, hep drink, from the fuddy-duddy image it currently has. The Coffee Board has passed this proposal to the commerce ministry and recently, we were told that the plan is under active consideration.
