The International Coffee Organisation has revised its global coffee production estimate for 2011-12 downward by 2.6 million bags to 127.4 million bags on account of inclement weather in Latin America and Asia.
In June this year, the global body had projected coffee output in the 2011-12 coffee year (October-September) at 130 million bags of 60-kg each.
“Adverse weather conditions, which could have a negative impact on production or post-harvest activities, have been recorded in a number of exporting countries, particularly in Central America and Indonesia,” the International Coffee Organisation (ICO) said.
If the bad weather continues, both the production potential as well as quality in 2011-12 could be affected, it cautioned.
In Asia, production is expected to fall in the major producing countries of Vietnam, Indonesia and India, while a slight fall in output is anticipated in Mexico and Central America as a result of higher than normal rainfall in some areas, it said.
Similarly, in Brazil, the production is expected to be on the lower side in 2011-12. In Colombia, despite an estimated rise in production levels, output has not yet recovered to the level seen in previous years, the ICO pointed out.
However, the international body has projected that coffee output in Africa will increase by 19.6 per cent to 16.3 million bags during the 2011-12 crop year from 13.6 million bags in 2010-11.
In the 2010-11 crop year, world coffee production is estimated at 133.1 million bags, which includes 83.2 million bags of Arabica and 50 million bags of the Robusta variety, the ICO said.