India’s coffee research body seeks partnership to speed up development of new

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It has reached out to private firms, research institutions and growers to improve the yield and quality of coffees

By Vishwanath Kulkarni

Updated - October 16, 2026 at 05:31 PM. | Bengaluru

In December last year, CCRI released two new high-yielding Arabica varieties that are tolerant to white stem borer and leaf rust disease | Photo Credit: K K Mustafah

The Central Coffee Research Institute (CCRI), under the Coffee Board, is seeking research partnerships with private companies, research institutions and coffee growers to accelerate the development of new varieties and improve productivity and quality of the coffees grown in the country.

The initiative aims to expand CCRI’s crop improvement programme by identifying promising coffee plants and varieties developed through natural cross-pollination or experimental breeding by growers and other researchers, said M Senthil Kumar, Director, CCRI. The institute believes such material, if scientifically evaluated, could offer potential for commercial cultivation.

CCRI, which has a legacy of over 100 years, has traditionally undertaken coffee breeding and variety development through its own research programmes and has released some 15 varieties in Arabica and three in Robusta. However, the institute is now looking to collaborate with external partners to tap expertise, research facilities and manpower beyond its existing resources to strengthen the breeding programme in novel varietal identification, varietal development, diversity analysis, marker development, genotyping of coffee varieties/species, among others, he said.

Helping assess materials

“Some farmers may have exceptionally high-yielding plants with superior quality in their fields but may not know how to evaluate or promote them,” Senthil Kumar said, adding that the institute could help assess such material and determine its potential for wider adoption. Besides speeding up the research and development process, the collaborative initiative will also help prevent the unauthorised introduction of planting materials in coffee-growing areas, he added.

Under the proposed collaboration framework, interested parties will be required to follow guidelines such as material transfer agreements, intellectual property and how the benefits will reach growers and the wider industry. The partnerships will be open to private research organisations, government institutions, companies with research and development capabilities, and individual researchers with relevant qualifications and experience. The institute has already received four expressions of interest from companies and individuals, with further responses expected.

Already, the Coffee Board is working with Jain Irrigation Systems to scale up the production of tissue-culture planting material from selected coffee varieties.

In December last year, CCRI released two new high-yielding Arabica varieties that are tolerant to white stem borer and leaf rust disease.

Published on October 14, 2026

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