coffee

1. Viet Nam coffee
Viet Nam exported about 100,000 tonnes of coffee in
November, earning a value of US$145 million, according to the
Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development. In November,
the export volume and value were nearly double the previous
month, the ministry said. These numbers increased the coffee
export volume and value in 11 months to 1.04 million tonnes
and $1.54 billion, respectively, it added. In these 11 months,
although coffee export volume was 19.3 per cent higher than in
same period last year, export value dropped by 14.7 per cent
due to the world recession. "The world recession has strongly
affected global coffee prices. The average price in the first 10
months of 2009 was only $1.478 per tonne, a drop by $615 per
tonne over the same period last year," said the ministry.
Recently, Belgium became the biggest market for the
Vietnamese coffee industry. In 11 months, export volume to
Belgium increased three-fold while export value doubled.
Coffee yield in Tay Nguyen drops The 2009-10 coffee harvest in
Tay Nguyen (Central Highland) provinces would drop by
between 20 and 33 per cent, said Nguyen Nam Hai, general
secretary of the Viet Nam Coffee Exporter's Club. In Dak Lak,
the coffee hub of Viet Nam, total coffee yield is forecast to
decline by 15,000 tonnes compared with the last crop. If the

2. forecast comes true, the total yield of coffee harvested in the
province will be around 400,000 tonnes. Not only Dak Lak but
also other Central Highland provinces including Dak Nong, Lam
Dong and Gia Lai have seen yields decline. Tough weather
conditions were the main reason causing low output. Capital
shortages were also a cause, he added. Recently, those
provinces harvested more than 30 per cent of the total coffee
area. The farmers, however, have seen little profit because of
higher prices for oil, fertiliser and labour.