Robusta Coffee Supplies May Match Demand, Armajaro Says

By Isis Almeida – Mar 28, 2012 1:14

Robusta coffee supplies may about match demand in the 2011-12 season that started in October on high consumption of the cheaper beans, according to Armajaro Trading Group Ltd., a supplier of sugar, cocoa and coffee.

Demand for robusta jumped 5 percent in the past year, said Sergio Tristao, president of Vitoria, Brazil-based Tristao Cia. de Comercio Exterior, an exporter and roaster. Robusta beans will account for 41 percent of global coffee consumption in 2011-12, up from 40 percent a year earlier, according to Volcafe, a unit of trader ED&F Man Holdings Ltd. The beans’ share will climb to 42 percent in 2012-13, the Winterthur, Switzerland-based trader estimated.

“If you look at the strength of Vietnamese shipments this year and the strength of the Liffe certified draw-downs, it points to the fact that robusta demand is holding up incredibly well,”