Terra Forte Sees Brazil’s Coffee Crop at 53.9 Million Bags

Terra Forte Sees Brazil’s Coffee Crop at 53.9 Million Bags
BLOOMBERG (USA)
 
Brazil, the world’s largest coffee grower, will produce 53.9 million bags of the beans in the coming 2012-13 crop year, according to Terra Forte Exportacao e Importacao de Cafe Ltda.

That is unchanged from a February forecast and higher than the 50.4 million bags estimated by Conab, the Ministry of Agriculture’s crop-forecasting agency. Growers will harvest 37.4 million bags of arabica beans and 16.5 million bags of the robusta variety, Terra Forte, Brazil’s second-biggest exporter, said in its third estimate for the season starting in July.

“Our last report suggested harvesting could be delayed in some key areas, due to late flowering, which has been confirmed,” the Sao Joao da Boa Vista, Brazil-based company said in an e-mailed statement today. “The rains in May have contributed to this delay and appear to have affected quality, particularly in the Zona da Mata region.”

Rains this month were beneficial and prospects for the 2013-14 crop are “good at the moment,” the exporter said. Brazil is set to produce less coffee in the period as arabica trees enter the lower-yielding half of a two-year cycle.