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India’s coffee exports climbed to $1.8 billion in 2024–25, marking a 40 per cent increase from $1.28 billion in the previous year, according to the Department of Commerce. This is the fourth year in a row that India’s coffee shipments have crossed the billion-dollar mark reflecting robust demand for Indian varieties in international markets and a steady rise in value-added coffee exports.

The Ministry of Commerce said the growth was led by strong international interest in India’s Arabica and Robusta beans, which account for nearly three-fourths of national production. While most exports remain unroasted beans, rising global preference for roasted and instant coffee has added momentum to the sector’s expansion.

India’s coffee is largely grown in the Western and Eastern Ghats, regions known for their biodiversity and rich soil. Karnataka remains the country’s largest coffee producer, followed by Kerala and Tamil Nadu. The industry’s steady climb has also encouraged new coffee-growing belts in the North-East, Andhra Pradesh’s Araku Valley, and Odisha’s Koraput district.

The country is now the seventh-largest coffee producer globally, with exports rising from $719 million in FY21 to $1.29 billion in FY24, before crossing $1.8 billion in FY25, the ministry’s data showed.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi, in his Mann Ki Baat radio address on Sunday, highlighted the growing global recognition of Indian coffee and its role in transforming rural livelihoods. He praised the work of coffee growers in Koraput, Odisha, saying many professionals had left corporate jobs to pursue their passion for coffee cultivation, while numerous women had found sustainable livelihoods through it.

“Indian coffee is becoming very popular all over the world,” PM Modi said, naming regions such as Chikmagalur, Coorg, Hassan, Nilgiri, Wayanad, Travancore and Malabar as examples of India’s coffee diversity. He added that the expansion of coffee cultivation to the North-East was helping strengthen India’s coffee identity globally.

India’s coffee sector has evolved from a colonial-era plantation trade into a modern export industry, supported by improved quality standards, branding, and farmer cooperatives. Exporters are increasingly focusing on speciality and organic coffee, which fetch premium prices abroad.

Officials say efforts to promote value-added processing, improve market access, and strengthen geographical indication (GI) branding are helping Indian coffee carve a stronger position globally.

“India’s coffee is coffee at its finest brewed in India and loved by the world,” PM Modi said, echoing the sentiment shared by exporters and growers across the country.

Ankit Kumar is a Senior Sub Editor at Zee Business. He covers international affairs, politics, climate change, business, finance and global elections. With experience acros