US attache raise 98/99 Nigeria cocoa crop estimate: Nigeria's actual main cocoa crop production and trade so far in the season indicate that production is much higher than earlier projection. The cocoa beans production forecast has been revised upward for the 1998/99 crop season to 1,65,000 tonnes, said the US Agricultural Department. Despite the erratic rainfall observed at the beginning of the current cocoa crop season, the 1998/99 main crop production increased beyond earlier projections. Rainfall in the cocoa belt was favorable from late September through October, both in terms of volume and distribution, thus ensuring increased production. In addition, incidences of black pod diseases were minimal due to the moderate rainfall. Post has therefore, revised upwards the production forecast for 1998/99 to 165,000 tons of dry beans to reflect current realities. The main crop season was markedly late and short compared to the preceding years. The crop started arriving on the market late in November andby the end of January the season was virtually ended. Meanwhile, speculative buying has pushed domestic market price of cocoa beans to 1,400 dollars per ton, which is above the prevailing international prices. Traders are reported to be holding back stocks in anticipation that falling value of the local currency, will result in higher domestic market prices for the beans.

Japanese rubber production up: Japanese rubber output for tyres totalled 90,722 tonnes in December, up by 1.8 per cent from the same month of last year, but down 7.5 per cent from November, an industry group said. Domestic rubber shipments in December amounted to 46,182 tonnes, down 4.0 per cent from a year earlier and down 14.9 per cent from November, said Japan Automobile Tyre Manufacturer's Association. December exports of rubber for tyres totalled 43,693 tonnes, up 10.2 per cent from a year earlier but down 1.5 per cent from the previous month, it said. Rubber output for tyres totalled 11,00,183 tonnes in 1998, down 0.4 per cent from 1997, it said.

Guatemalan coffee exports down: Coffee exports from Guatemala's 1998/99 crop year through February 21, reached 1.46 million (60 kg) bags, down 22.1 per cent from that of last year, the National Coffee Association (Anacafe) said. Anacafe said in a report that total exports from the start of the crop year on October 1 to February 21 reached 14,57,666 (60 kg) bags, compared to the 18,71,443 bags exported during that period in the 97/98 harvest year. Exports during the month of February had reached 3,83,835 (60 kg) bags of coffee through February 21, compared with the 4,70,538 (60 kg) bags exported during the whole of February last year in the 1997/98 crop year, Anacafe said. The lower exports are blamed on a six-month El Nino-related drought last year, which delayed coffee flowering, and then was followed by Hurricane Mitch, which dumped heavy rains on some growing areas and damaged roads and bridges to growing areas. In the aftermath of Hurricane Mitch in November, Guatemala revised down export forecastsfor the 1998/99 coffee harvest some 16 per cent to 2.88 million (60 kg) bags from its previous estimate of 3.45 million (60 kg) bags, made just before Mitch.

El Salvador coffee exports down: El Salvador's coffee exports from the current 1998/99 crop year through February 12 fell 43.4 per cent, compared with the volume exported at this time one year ago, the El Salvadoran Coffee Council said. El Salvador exported only 5,43,934 quintals (46 kg bags), from October 1 through February 12, compared with 9,60,913 quintals exported during that same October 1 to February 12 period of the 1997/98 crop year, the Council said in a report. El Salvador initially forecast the 1998/99 crop to produce between 2.5 million and 2.6 million quintals for exports, but has since said it expects losses from excessive rains brought by Hurricane Mitch to have destroyed some 2,00,000 quintals.