Coffee export jumps by 50% in Jan-May 2010

The country's coffee export surged by 50 per cent to 1,29,815 tonnes in the first five months of this year buoyed by higher domestic supplies, according to the Coffee Board of India.

But the export realisation of the commodity was lower by 7.25 per cent at Rs 1,00,311 per tonne during January-May of the current year, compared to Rs 1,08,161 per tonne in the same period last year, the Coffee Board data showed.

India, Asia's third-largest producer, had exported 86,654 tonnes of coffee in the corresponding period last year. "The shipments so far have risen sharply to 1,29,815 tonnes because of increased coffee availability following better production this year," a Coffee Board official said.

"Another major factor boosting Indian coffee exports is growing coffee consumption in the global market. The global demand is seen growing at two per cent per annum," he said.

The country's coffee output has increased to 2.89 lakh tonnes in the 2009-10 crop year (October-September), as against 2.62 lakh tonnes in the previous two years, he added.

According to data released by the apex body for promotion and marketing of the crop, robusta exports rose by 41 per cent at 69,128 tonnes in the January-May period of 2010, against 48,696 tonnes in the same period last year.

Arabica shipments jumped by 39 per cent at 26,272 tonnes from 18,924 tonnes whereas the re-export of processed coffee rose to 34,265 tonnes from 18,929 tonnes in the review period.

Companies such as Tata Coffee, Nestle and NKG Jayanti Coffee Pvt shipped most of their products to Italy (37,994 tonnes), Russia (15,924 tonnes) and Germany (11,431 tonnes).