For a small-scale planter like Rukmini RV of Kerala's Wayanad district, rain in January - the coffee harvest season - can be damaging. It either spoils the carefully cultivated beans completely or drastically affects its aromatic quality. Needless to say, this year's 2,312% variation in rainfall, according to the met department, in the first two weeks of the month has been simply disastrous - and not just for cultivators.
