For the 2013-14 crop, the nation is expected to experience a 20-per cent year-on-year increase in the export value of coffee to US$3 billion. — Photo giacaphe

HA NOI (Biz Hub) — Coffee output for the 2014-15 crop is predicted to fall by 20 to 25 per cent over the previous crop because of unfavourable weather conditions, according to the Viet Nam Coffee and Cocoa Association.

It attributed the decrease to the negative impact of drought during the coffee growing season. The Cuu Long (Mekong) Delta region, in particular, had enough water for only 60 per cent of coffee-growing areas during the dry season, leading to the poor development of coffee berries and consequently, low output of coffee beans.

Meanwhile, long-term hoar frost has affected Arabica coffee trees in Da Lat and the provinces of Lam Dong and Son La, sparking predictions of a 30-per cent decline in coffee output there, the association added.

Also, the Western Highlands Agro-Forestry Science and Technical Institute (WASI) reported that old coffee trees with low output accounted for 30 per cent of the total area for growing coffee.

According to the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, in the first months of 2014, coffee exports reached 1.49 million tonnes worth $3.1 billion, a 37.1-per cent increase in volume and 33.5-per cent increase in value year-on-year.

Recently, the Belgian market witnessed an increase in coffee imports from Viet Nam. However, Germany and the United States remained the two largest importers of Vietnamese coffee.

The association expected coffee output to reach 1.4 million tonnes, or about 23.3 million bags, with each bag weighing 60 kg, for the 2013-14 crop that began in October 2013 and ended last September.

For the 2013-14 crop, the nation is expected to experience a 20-per cent year-on-year increase in the export value of coffee to US$3 billion. — VNS