Vietnam's March coffee exports seen at 90,000-110,000 tonnes

HANOI: Vietnam is forecast to export 90,000 to 110,000 tonnes (1.5-1.83 million bags) of coffee in March, against an estimated 109,000 tonnes exported last month, as most farmers have been holding onto their stocks, traders said on Tuesday.

"After Tet sales have been slow, so the monthly volume could be low," said a trader at a foreign firm in Ho Chi Minh City, referring to Vietnam's Lunar New Year festival on Feb. 16-23.

Last month Vietnam exported an estimated 109,000 tonnes, or 1.82 million 60-kg bags, down 40.8 percent from a year earlier, the government said last week.

Vietnam exported as much as 278,300 tonnes in March 2014, a surge of 51.4 percent from the previous month.