Climate Change Threatens Quality And Cita Rasa Kopi

JAKARTA - Climate change not only has an impact on extreme weather or crop failure, but has also begun to affect the taste and quality of coffee beans. Temperature fluctuations, erratic rain patterns, and ecosystem disruption have a direct impact on the growth of coffee plants.

Temperatures that are too high can accelerate grain maturation, disrupt the process of natural flavor formation, and increase the risk of pest attacks. This has the potential to reduce the quality of coffee flavors that have been Indonesia's mainstay in the world market.

Nur Jamila, Director of various coffee companies, stated that climate change has threatened the continuity of coffee production. In a media meeting in Jakarta on Monday night, he explained that changing the harvest season and increasing pests are serious challenges, especially when fewer young people are interested in becoming coffee farmers.

"An uncertain season, pest disorders that are increasingly difficult to control, and the lack of regeneration of farmers makes the future of coffee even more complex," said Jamila, as quoted by ANTARA.

He emphasized that all coffee industry players in Indonesia must be prepared to face this challenge, starting from increasing farmers' capacity to maintaining the quality of their crops.

According to Jamila, adaptive solutions can be carried out through targeted training and the application of integrated land management agroforestry practices that combine agricultural and forestry elements to create sustainable systems economically, socially, and ecologically.

He also added that maintaining the coffee industry ecosystem from upstream to downstream, as well as encouraging sustainability between generations, is the main key to the resilience of this industry.

"Without serious attention to the upstream sector, all of our businesses downstream will lose their footing," he said.

Jamila assessed that the real impact of climate change could actually be a momentum for improvement and collaboration so that coffee farmers would not be abandoned, while preserving the environment.

"The ultimate goal is for us to still be able to enjoy a meaningful cup of coffee, without sacrificing the future of the earth," he added.

Meanwhile, Deputy Director of Business and Operations of TUKU, M. Septrisyah, who is familiarly called Jaka, highlighted the growing trend of coffee consumption in Indonesia.

According to Jaka, palm sugar milk coffee is still the prima donna. It was recorded that throughout 2024, TUKU sold an average of 78 thousand copies of Neighbor's Milk Coffee (KST) per day, or about 17 million milliliters.

Not only is the physical coffee shop developing, coffee in the form of pods is also starting to be popular. Jaka explained that consumers are now increasingly careful in choosing coffee, ranging from the geographic origin of coffee beans, manual brewing methods, low sugar preferences, to coffee that fits a healthy lifestyle.

With this dynamic, Jaka emphasized that maintaining the chain of the coffee ecosystem from upstream to downstream is more relevant and important for industrial sustainability.

"If we used to talk about delicious coffee, now we are talking about honest, relevant, and responsible coffee," concluded Jaka.