India coffee exports seen falling 15pc in 2011-12

NEW DELHI: Coffee exports from India, the world's sixth-biggest producer, were expected to fall some 15 percent in 2011-12, Coffee Board Chairman Jawaid Akhtar said on Wednesday, because of rising consumption at home.

Akhtar said exports for the year ending March 31, 2012 were seen between 240,000 and 250,000 tonnes against 294,000 tonnes a year ago.

He said demand for coffee in India was growing at about 6 percent annually.

India accounts for only 4.5 percent of the world's output, but exports 70-80 percent of its produce. Italy, Russia and Germany are the top three buyers of Indian coffee.