Brazil exported 15 percent less green coffee in February compared to last year in part due to slower sales by farmers who preferred to wait for better prices, exporters association Cecaf said on Thursday. The world's largest producer and exporter shipped 2.23 million 60-kg bags of green coffee last month, down from 2.62 million bags a year ago.
"Producers are more resistant to sell at current prices. They are waiting for better values," Nelson Carvalhaes, head of Cecaf's board, told Reuters. He said the current tight supply of robusta beans and a move by local roasters to use more arabica beans in their ground roasted blends also contributed to smaller exporting volumes.
Exports of robusta were a mere 9,000 bags, more than 80 percent less than a year ago, while instant coffee shipments fell to 248,000 bags from 313,000 bags last year. Brazil produced a record arabica crop last year, but its robusta output fell heavily due to extreme dryness in Espirito Santo, the top producing state.
Carvalhaes said Brazil's economic recession, the harshest on history, is another reason behind farmers' reluctance to sell more coffee. But Carvalhaes refrained from projecting any annual fall in exports compared to last year, saying the situation should improve in the coming months as the economy shows signs of recovery and the new crop hit warehouses around May.
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