Coffee season for 2009-10, which ends in September, is likely to witness more than 50% increase in coffee exports.
As per the latest statistics available with the Coffee Board, exports climbed up 53% to 2.65 lakh tonne in the current coffee year from 1.74 lakh tonnes recorded in the previous season.
?Exports are expected to cross 2.70 lakh by September 30 as applications of 10-12 large exporters applied for permits would be disposed off by this month,? said an official attached to the state-owned Coffee Board.
In the last crop year, which ended September 2009, India exported 1.78 lakh tonne of coffee. Foreign exchange fetched by coffee exports surged a whopping 44% to $569 million till September 17, 2010 from $ 396 million in the same period a year ago. In rupee terms, overseas revenue touched Rs 2,715 crore, up from 1,906 crore a year ago.
Higher realisation value on the back of a weak rupee helped to push up the revenue growth, said J Manjunath of Sivadarsh Exporters. However, on an average, export value tumbled this crop year to Rs 1.02 lakh per tonne compared to Rs 1.09 lakh a year ago.
Exports surged on the back of increased coffee production in the country. Coffee production in 2009-10 crop year climbed to 2,89,600 tonne from 2,62,300 tonne in the previous season.
Nearly 90% of the coffee produced in the country was exported in the current crop year against 67% in the last crop year, a Coffee Board official said. The increase in export volume was also due to decline in output in other exporting countries like Brazil, Vietnam and Colombia.
