Origin Issue Assessment: India Coffee

This Origin Issue Assessment (OIA), conducted as part of the JDE Common Grounds program, highlights the following as key risks in the Indian coffee sector: occupational health and safety, agrochemical handling, and soil fertility and management.

In India, legislation pertaining to the safety of workers has recently been cut, and trainings provided to farmers and workers leave room for improvement. Indian coffee farmers usually supply personal safety equipment to laborers although their use remains infrequent due to their uncomfortable wear; the new Pesticide Management Bill should further improve registration and promote better practices. Although the National Mission for Sustainable Agriculture (NMSA) promotes Integrated Nutrient Management practices, we see a rise in use of agrochemicals and occurrence of landslides due to opening of forest canopies from deforestation.