Adding the cheaper chicory to coffee keeps prices low, but the practice is hurting coffee growers by reducing the demand for their coffee.
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When you look at a packet of coffee powder, there’s every chance you will find that the word “chicory” is mentioned, along with its percentage, yet not many consider why this is the case. What is chicory, and why is it included in our coffee? Chicory is a carbohydrate-rich root that was originally found in France. During the Second World War, most of the world was going through rationing. Since chicory is much cheaper than coffee, but similar in taste, the French began adding chicory to their coffee in order to stretch their coffee supplies. This habit was taken up by the British, who brought the idea to India. However, most countries have since stopped the practice of adding chicory to their coffee, and use coffee in its purest form, without any additives. Chicory flower and root. Image courtesy Wikimedia Commons In India, however, the chicory practice continues. The current acceptable amount of chicory in packaged coffee is up to 49%, according to the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI). Marketers like Bru’s Green Label utilise this limit to the fullest. Chicory is mainly grown in parts of Gujarat for Indian consumers. The prices have remained a fraction of the price of coffee: Rs 60 per kg, against the market price of best quality coffee at around 150 per kg at wholesale rate. Adding the cheaper chicory to coffee keeps prices low, but the practice hurts coffee growers by reducing the demand for their coffee. “It is actually cheating the consumer by calling a ‘chicory mix’ as coffee. Coffee is not as soluble in water as chicory is, since coffee’s solubility is 30% whereas chicory’s solubility is as high as 70%. So, even if the chicory content is only 30%, the taste of the brew will be dominated by chicory. It will not be coffee, as it is currently being marketed,” says Vishwanath KK, organising secretary of the Karnataka Growers Federation. “We suggest that such products be labelled as ‘Chicory with coffee added’.” Coffee growers in the state of Karnataka have been requesting the FSSAI to reduce the acceptable ratio from 49% to around 30% of chicory content. In a report titled “Status of Indian Coffee 2019”, the Karnataka Growers Association has enumerated its demands regarding a minimum support price and better research into the management of the white borer pest. The government also needs to look out for producers in the country, says Vishwanath, adding, “We demand better prices for our coffee. In a country where the food inflation is steady at 3.18% while we are paying GST of up to 12%, and current inflation is at 7.62%, where are the profits? The producers with small holdings are suffering, and there are hardly any margins. At this rate, people will move away from cultivation and India will be forced to import everything, which is unsustainable.” There’s also the problem of low production of coffee. The main problem seems to be the white stem borer, which lays its eggs in the bark of the Arabica plant, the more expensive variety of coffee. There is currently no other way to manage it except to burn the entire plant. A plantation crop, the Arabica coffee plant takes up to 8 years to mature, and pest infestation causes huge losses to the producers. Changing climate pattern is also affecting coffee production: in the past two years, there have been heavy rains and flooding in parts of the Western Ghats, which has affected global supply, as reported by the international media. All this means that the coffee growers need to fight for better demand for their produce, and better prices. Pagalkumar, who is the Director of Pioneer Chicory, says that they would actually prefer if chicory is sold separately. “In South India, most people prefer to have chicory in their coffee. Even if the market moves away from selling coffee mixed with chicory, we are confident that people will continue to buy it separately as it is part of their taste preference. The move would benefit us,” he adds.
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