In that case, the area under cultivation globally would have to rise by only 10% to satisfy growing demand for food by 2050 and there would be plenty of water to go round.
His office said the increase in land discovered to be under cultivation came about because the survey area had been increased, in an attempt to improve its comprehensiveness.
According to official figures, Nepal now has 1, 700 hectares of coffee plantation, more than 10 times the area 20 years ago, when coffee cultivation started picking up.