Which of the following States of India produces more than 70 percent coffee of the country alone?

The answer is D, Karnataka. Karnataka grows roughly 70 percent of India's coffee, mainly from Arabica and Robusta grown in the Western Ghats. Kodagu, Chikkamagaluru and Hassan are the core districts, and the shade-grown, plantation-based cultivation there is why the state dominates.

Why the others fall short:

• Kerala (B) is a major producer, with Wayanad and Idukki as key areas, but it stands second, well below Karnataka's share.
• Tamil Nadu (A) grows coffee in the Nilgiris and Yercaud, but its share is small.
• Maharashtra (C) is not a significant coffee-producing state.

The core concept is the coffee value chain: the Coffee Act, 1942 and the Coffee Board, headquartered in Bengaluru under the Ministry of Commerce and Industry, regulate cultivation, export and promotion. For Mains, this links to plantation agriculture, the Western Ghats and farmer incomes in export-oriented crops.

Note that Andhra Pradesh and Odisha have been expanding their coffee area in recent years, so their shares are growing, but Karnataka's dominance has held.

Trap: candidates pick Kerala because it is famous for spices and plantations, or Tamil Nadu because of the Nilgiris. Remember that Karnataka is the single largest share and that the question asks for more than 70 percent.