Costa Rica April coffee exports fall 15.8pc y/y

SAN JOSE: Coffee exports from Costa Rica fell 15.8 percent in April from a year earlier to 135,661 60-kg bags due to restocking of domestic inventories, the national coffee institute said on Monday.

Costa Rica, known for its top-quality arabica coffee, expects 2010/11 coffee production to rise as much as 5.4 percent above last season's crop after heavy rains proved to be less damaging than originally thought.

The Central American country sees output at between 1.55 million and 1.57 million 60-kg bags, a jump from the 1.49 million produced last cycle. Most of Costa Rica's coffee is exported but some is consumed internally.