World coffee production in 2011-12 season is estimated at 135 million bags of 60 kg each on the back of record output of robusta in Brazil and Vietnam followed by a recovery in Columbia, a USDA report said.

“World coffee production for 2011-12 is forecast at 135 million bags, down just 2.9 million bags, as Brazil enters the off-year of the biennial arabica production cycle,” the report said.

According to the International Coffee Organisation (ICO), the global body on coffee, output in the 2011-12 season is estimated at 130 million bags.

Robusta crop in Brazil is expected to jump by 1.8 million bags to a record 14.5 million bags on account of favourable weather and good crop management, while the arabica crop is estimated to drop by 7.1 million to 34.7 million bags, during the off-year of the biennial cycle, the report added.

Production in Vietnam is expected to increase by 1.9 million bags to 20.6 million bags on the back of timely rains that resulted in good flowering and fruit setting, the USDA said.

Columbian coffee output is expected at 10.5 million tonnes on account of high prices and government support encouraging farmers, but the crop is short of the five-year average of 11.8 million bags due to shortfalls caused by coffee rust and coffee cherry borer, it added.

However, coffee output in India in 2011-12 is expected to decline.

“India is forecast to slip 3,00,000 bags to 4.8 million bags (about 2.88 lakh tonnes) because robusta areas experienced uneven rainfall during the bloom period, which is expected to lower yields,” the USDA pointed out.

According to the Coffee Board of India officials, output is estimated to remain flat at three lakh tonnes in the 2011-12 season.

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