Question

Consider the following statements:

1. Coffee cultivation in India is largely limited to the Nilgiri Hills.

2. Arabica coffee grown in India was originally introduced from Ethiopia.

   Choose the correct statement(s)

   Choose the correct statement(s)

• A. 1 only
• B. 2 only
• C. Both 1 and 2
• D. Neither 1 nor 2

Answer 1

Answer:

A. 1 only

• Correct Answer :Option A) 1 only

• Statement 1: Coffee cultivation in India is largely limited to the Nilgiri Hills- This is Incorrect.

• Coffee cultivation in India is not limited to just the Nilgiri Hills. India's coffee-growing regions are spread across three main states in Southern India:

• Karnataka (produces about 70% of India's coffee) - including regions like Coorg (Kodagu), Chikmagalur, and Hassan

• Kerala - including Wayanad, Idukki, and parts of the Western Ghats

• Tamil Nadu - including the Nilgiris, Yercaud, and Kodaikanal hills

• The Western Ghats region, which spans across these three states, forms the primary coffee belt of India. So coffee cultivation extends far beyond just the Nilgiri Hills.

• Statement 2: "Arabica coffee grown in India was originally introduced from Ethiopia" - This is Incorrect.

• While Arabica coffee did originate in Ethiopia, the Arabica coffee grown in India was not directly introduced from Ethiopia. According to historical records, coffee was first introduced to India by Baba Budan, a Sufi saint, who brought seven coffee seeds from Yemen (not Ethiopia) in the 17th century (around 1670). He planted these seeds in the hills of Chikmagalur, Karnataka, which came to be known as Baba Budan Giri.

• The coffee that reached Yemen had originally come from Ethiopia, but India's coffee cultivation began with seeds from Yemen, not directly from Ethiopia.