Govt slashes coffee output estimates by 5%

BANGALORE: India���s coffee output for the crop year ending September 2009 stands at 2.6 lakh tonnes, down 5% from the earlier estimate of 2.8 lakh tonnes, according to the revised post-monsoon coffee crop estimate issued by the Coffee Board.

The lower output was due to the erratic monsoon crop coupled with non-availability of labour. The revised post-monsoon estimate confirms the quantum of production during a crop year.

The estimate also indicates a massive 21% fall (drop of 20,500 tonnes) in Arabica production, while Robusta output is expected to be down by 5.3% (a shortfall of 10,200 tonnes). At 79,500 tonnes, Arabica output is the lowest during the last 14 years.

���The drop in output is bad news and comes at a time when prices have shown a rising trend,��� said an exporter.
Karnataka���s output, as per the estimates, will be about 1.8 lakh tonnes. This includes 61,125 tonnes of Arabica and 1.2 lakh tonnes of Robusta.

The state���s output had been pegged at 1.9 lakh tonnes and the latest estimate from the Coffee Board indicates a drop of slightly over 7%. Hassan district in Karnataka accounted for a drop in production of 28% in 2008-09 (a decline of 7,900 tonnes), while Chikmagalur saw its output fall by 20%. Arabica output in Karnataka was down by 24.8%, while Robusta saw a decline of 7.7%.

India, which exports 80% of its coffee, is pre-dominantly a Robusta producer which accounts for nearly two-thirds of the country���s production.