Coffee output may fall 2.2% this year

Coffee output is likely to drop by 2.2 per cent to 0.31 million tonnes (mt) this year as crop has been affected by drought followed by harsh monsoon in Karnataka and Kerala, the Coffee Board said on Friday.

The country had harvested 0.32 mt of coffee in the 2012-13 marketing year (October-September).

Releasing the revised estimates, the board said that total coffee production is expected to be 0.31 mt in 2013-14, down 10.23 per cent from the earlier estimate of 0.35 mt for the same period.

Production of Arabica has declined by 8 per cent to 0.1 mt, while robusta 11 per cent to 0.21 mt, from over the earlier estimate. Maximum drop in production is seen in Karnataka and Kerala.

Citing reasons for lowering production estimates, the board said, "During the current season, coffee areas have witnessed a long period of drought after receiving blossom showers, followed by an extremely harsh monsoon."