According to industry reports, last month Vietnam edged out Brazil to become the world’s largest coffee exporter.
VnExpress shares that in March, Vietnam shipped a total of 2.8 million bags of coffee compared to Brazil’s 2.71 million bags. Including last month’s shipments, the Southeast Asian country has sold 834,100 tons of coffee – a 2% year-on-year increase – in the first half of the 2016/2017 coffee season.
This is the most coffee Vietnam has exported in the last three seasons, according to statistics from Vietnam Customs. However, it is important to note that the two countries are still neck and neck when it comes to export volume, and it remains to be seen whether Vietnam can maintain its top position in the coming months.
Brazil’s 2.71 million bags included 2.32 million bags of Arabica beans, 20,626 bags of Conillion (a Robusta variation) and 343,278 bags of instant coffee, reports VnExpress. The slight drop that led to the South American country losing out to Vietnam was likely due to a shortage in Robusta production. In February it even considered importing additional Robusta beans from elsewhere.
A range of climate-related issues contributed to Brazil’s poor Robusta production. In fact, industry experts predicted that the country’s yield could drop to 10.5 million bags in the future, the lowest in 10 years. This is largely due to extended dry spells in coffee-growing regions and above-average temperature.
[Photo via Perfect Daily Grind]
