Coffee output in Brazil, the world’s biggest producer, may fall more than previously forecast this year as a dry spell in the main growing regions hurt bean development, a weather forecaster said.
Below-average rainfall and warm weather in parts of Minas Gerais state and southern Espirito Santo state may cause "a big impact" in productivity, said Marco Antonio dos Santos, a weather forecaster at Sao Paulo-based Somar Meteorologia. The dry spell is hitting crops at a time when developing beans need water "the most," he said today in a report sent by e-mail.
Dryness may drive down output beyond a 30 percent drop forecast last month, he said. Somar said Jan. 4 that growers may harvest 33.7 million bags, down from 48.1 million in 2010, as a drought last year reduced the number of beans on trees and the plants enter the lower-yielding half of a two-year cycle.
More trees have also been attacked by diseases this year, causing “serious” damage to beans, dos Santos said.Minas Gerais is Brazil’s biggest producer of arabica beans and Espirito Santo is the biggest robusta grower.
Minas Gerais and Espirito Santo won’t get “significant” rainfall, defined as 10 millimeters or more, in the next five days, dos Santos said. Precipitation will increase after Feb. 25, when plants and beans could face “ideal development conditions,” he said.
Arabica coffee for Maydeliveryrose 3.4 cents, or 1.3 percent, to $2.6510 a pound at 9:16 a.m. on ICE Futures U.S. in New York.
(Source: http://www.coffeeasean.org/details.asp?Object=5&news_ID=17234860)
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