Robusta coffee output likely to decline this year

Robusta coffee production in Indonesia will decrease 1.7 percent after a prolonged rainy season, the US Department of Agriculture’s Foreign Agriculture Service said.

Robusta output will fall to 5.8 million 60-kilogram bags in the marketing year that began on April 1, the agency said on Tuesday in a report, with Arabica steady at 1 million bags. Indonesia is the third-largest producer of Robusta coffee.

“Continuous rain after February onwards will affect the growth of coffee cherries and can damage young cherries,” according to the report by Aji K. Bromokusumo, adding that rain had persisted into May.

However Indonesia’s coffee exports are projected to rise 2.2 percent to 4.7 million bags because of interest in specialty varieties, Bromokusumo said.
Source: JakartaGlobe, 20 May, page B.