Embassy of India
Bangkok
***
Remarks by Ambassador at
Coffee Seminar
on 28th March, 2019 from 3 to 5 PM at
BITEC Exhibition Centre Bangna
Good afternoon / Sawadee Ka;
Dr. Wichien Rerkpatanakit, Executive Adviser, National Food Institute of Thailand;
Ms. Varri Sodprasert, President of Thai Coffee Association, Thailand
Dr. Badsavaraj K, Head of Division Coffee Quality, Coffee Board of India
Distinguished guests;
Ladies and Gentleman;
I am delighted to join you at this seminar on ‘Indian Coffee’ in collaboration with Coffee Board of India. I extend my warm welcome to all of you.
The major objective of this seminar is to introduce Indian coffee to the coffee lovers of Thailand and promote business linkages between our two countries. We have representative from Coffee Board of India Dr. Badsavaraj K, who will make a detailed presentation on Indian Coffee.
The second-most traded commodity in the world after crude oil, coffee is one of the most valuable primary products in world trade. Its cultivation, processing, trading, transportation and marketing provide employment to more than a hundred million people worldwide. Coffee has become increasingly popular both in India and Thailand over the last few years. It is no longer a traditional beverage, but a youthful and trendy beverage.
India is the third-largest producer and exporter of coffee in Asia. The country accounts for 3.30 per cent (2017-18) of the global coffee production.
The coffee production in FY18 is stood at 316,000 MT.
In FY18, coffee exports from India stood at 395,014 MT valued at US$ 963.28 million.
Top three importers of Indian coffee during 2017-18 were Italy (25.16 per cent), Germany (10.51 per cent) and Belgium (5.97 per cent).
The Coffee Board of India under the Ministry of Commerce & Industry is engaged in the research, development, extension, quality upgrade, market information, and domestic and international promotion of Indian coffee.
The domestic market for coffee has picked up well over the past few years. The rise of the café culture in India has played an important role in increasing the awareness about Indian coffee. With domestic brands like Café Coffee Day and foreign brands like Starbucks, Costa, Gloria Jeans et al, the coffee industry in India is growing well. It is important to note here that cafes have taken coffee to the northern region of the country. Coffee has been accepted by the young generation.
Indian coffee has been able to carve a unique space for itself in the global market today as compared to the other popular coffees in the world. The quality and other fine aspects of Indian coffee are today well known among the global buyer. The ability to provide the right balance to the cup is one of the main factors that work for Indian coffee.
The country has the capability to provide different types of coffee to the global buyer. Be it any type of variety under Arabica and Robusta, it is available in the Indian market. The ability to meet the different requirements is one of the primary USPs of Indian coffee industry. As the Indian coffee is grown in shade, it also has an eco-friendly edge that it offers to the global buyer.
Let me say a few words on today’s Indian economy and business opportunities. India is transforming itself at a faster rate. As you may be aware, India jumped 23 positions from 100 to 77 in World Bank’s Doing Business Report amongst 190 countries. India has improved 53 positions in last two years and 65 positions in last 4 years.
I would like to inform you that the bilateral trade between India and Thailand is gaining momentum. It’s encouraging that the bilateral trade in 2018 grew by about 20% and India’s exports to Thailand grew by 24.86% over the previous year.
We have excellent people-to-people contact and air connectivity which complement our trade and investment relations. There are around 17 Indian cities directly connected to Bangkok with around 330 flights per week. One can reach any city of India in 3-4 hours. We have all elements necessary for doing business between India and Thailand.
I welcome coffee companies in Thailand to look at Indian coffee and engage with Indian companies and Coffee Board. Please also enjoy the Coffee Tasting session in the end of the programme organized by Coffee Board.
Thank You.
***
