Even as other traditional global powerhouses in coffee are witnessing a negative growth during the current crop season, exports from India are rising at a rapid pace.

Trade sources said coffee shipments from India increased to 2.27 lakh tonne in the first 10 months of the current crop season ending July, up by 47% compared to 1.55 lakh tonne exported in the same period a year ago. Following this, foreign exchange earned through coffee exports climbed to Rs 2,321 crore from Rs 1,700 crore.

?Increased production in 2009-10 and higher crop estimation for 2010-11 are two major positive sentiments that pushed up exports,? J Manjunath of Sivadarsh Exporters.

Citing a report released by International Coffee Organisation (ICO), he said the coffee exports from India increased by 42.64% to 2.95 million bags (60 kg a bag) during the first eight months of the coffee year ending May while at the same time global exports declined by 8.1% to 61 million bags.

Exports from the world’s top coffee producer Brazil tumbled by 7.6% to 20.15 million bags during the same period while exports from the second largest coffee producer Vietnam’s declined by a whopping 22.6% to 10.31 million bags.

Likewise, coffee exports from Colombia declined by 26.30% to 4.78 million bags while it tumbled by 21% to 1.5 million bags during the same period in Peru .

Costa Rica ‘s coffee exports have fallen by 31% to 0.69 million bags and EI Salvador by 13% to 0.83 million bags. The drop in exports has also been attributed to lower carryover stock in producing countries this season added to the low production.

Looking at the current trend, coffee exports from India is expected to cross 2.50 lakh tonne in the current crop year ending September against the previous year exports that of 1.79 lakh tonne, Manjunath added.

India produced close to 2.86 lakh tonnes of coffee in the crop year 2009-10. Almost 80% of the current year crop and 10% from the existing stocks could be exported this season, analysts said.

?Traders are clearing their stocks due to expected higher output in 2010-11,? said a Coffee Board official.

According to Coffee Board post-blossom estimates, India is expected to harvest 3.08 lakh tonne of coffee in the forthcoming crop season starting October. The total output for the next coffee season is likely to comprise 2.08 lakh tonne of Robusta and 99,000 tonne of Arabica.