The Association of the Vietnam Coffee and Cocoa designed on Friday (22/03) that coffee production in crop year 2013/14 could fall between 30% and 35% due to drought that hit the country.
A prolonged drought in the Vietnamese Central Highlands, the largest coffee producing region of the country, caused losses of at least 95 hectares of coffee trees and left 55 000 hectares in critical condition, the association said in a statement. The organization also noted that this year the rains were 30% below average.
The Vietnamese coffee crop in crop year 2012/13, which began in October, down 30% compared to the previous season, to 1.2 million tons. Crops are usually completed in late February and early March
Vietnam is the largest exporter of Robusta coffee in the world. The country exported 1.56 million tonnes in 2011/12, compared to 1.15 million tonnes in the previous cycle.
Source: Dow Jones