India is the principal coffee-growing region in the British empire, and produces about one-fifth of the total supply of the United Kingdom. There are some 213,000 acres under coffee, mostly in southern India. The official report states that the production of coffee is restricted for the most part to a limited area in the elevated region above the south-western coast, the coffee lands of Mysore, Coorg, and the Madras districts of Malabar and the Nilgiris, comprising 86% of the whole area under the plant in India. About one-half of the whole coffee-producing area is in Mysore. In Burma, Assam and Bombay, coffee is of minor importance. During 1904-1906 there was a reduction of the area under coffee in India by 21,554 acres.
Ceylon.—The history of coffee in Ceylon is practically that of the coffee-leaf disease (see below). The Dutch introduced Arabian coffee in 1720, but abandoned its cultivation later. It was revived by the British, and developed very rapidly between 1836 and 1845, when there was a temporary collapse owing to financial crisis in the United Kingdom. In 1880 the exports of coffee were of the value of about £2,784,163. Ten years later they had fallen to £430,633, owing to the ravages of the coffee-leaf disease. The output continued to decrease, and the value of the crop in 1906 was only £17,258. Liberian coffee, which is hardier and more resistant to disease, was introduced, but met with only partial success.
Dutch East Indies.—Coffee from this source passes under the general name of “Java,” that island producing the greatest amount; Sumatra, Borneo and the Celebes, &c., however, also contribute. The Java plantations are largely owned by the government. Much of the coffee from these islands is of a high quality.
Australasia.—Coffee can be cultivated in the northern territories of Australia, but comparatively little is done with this crop; Queensland produces the largest amount.
Hawaii, &c.—In all the islands of the Hawaiian group coffee is grown, but nine-tenths or more is raised in Hawaii itself, the Kona district being the chief seat of production. The exports go mostly to the United States, and there is also a large local consumption.
Coffee thrives well also in the Philippines and Guam.
The World’s Trade.—The following figures, from the Year-book of the U.S. Department of Agriculture, indicate the relative importance of the coffee-exporting countries.
| Country. | 1904. Exports coffee in ℔. | 1905. Exports coffee in ℔. |
| America— | ||
| Brazil | 1,326,027,795 | 1,431,328,038 |
| Colombia | 130,000,000 | (est.) 70,000,000 |
| Venezuela | 128,000,000 | (est.) 94,370,090 |
| Haiti | 81,407,346 | 45,244,232 |
| Salvador | 75,314,003 | 61,822,223 |
| Guatemala | 71,653,700 | 81,081,600 |
| Mexico | 41,855,368 | 42,456,491 |
| Costa Rica | 27,730,672 | 39,788,002 |
| Nicaragua | 21,661,621 | 18,171,515 |
| Porto Rico | 15,330,590 | |
| Jamaica | 5,781,440 | 9,046,464 |
| Asia— | ||
| Dutch East Indies | 77,168,254 | 72,864,649 |
| British India | 36,920,464 | 40,340,384 |
| Singapore (port of export) | 12,367,156 | 11,935,034 |
| Other countries | 216,891,567 | 220,132,690 |
| ————— | ————— | |
| Total | 2,268,109,976 | 2,238,581,412 |
In 1906 there was an increased total of 2,680,855,878 ℔, due to the Brazil export rising to 1,847,367,771 ℔. The aggregate value of the coffee annually entering the world’s markets is about £40,000,000.