RI's coffee belt still parched<\/p>\n
SINGAPORE (Reuters): No rains fell over the parched Indonesian
\ncoffee belt over the last 24 hours and the drought will not ease
\nanytime soon, regional dealers said yesterday.<\/p>\n
\"The weather's pretty bad. It's very dry. The flowers and the
\ncherries on the coffee trees are not doing well,\" a dealer said.<\/p>\n
\"It is very dry in Indonesia. It's very serious,\" another
\ntrader agreed.<\/p>\n
Showers fell in the main coffee belt of Lampung, Bengkulu and
\nSouth Sumatra last week, but have since stopped completely. The
\narea produces up to 70 percent of Indonesia's total production of
\ncoffee.<\/p>\n
The coffee crop in Indonesia has been battered by a drought
\nstemming from the El Nio weather pattern.<\/p>\n
Regional traders forecast coffee output in the country will
\nprobably fall to around 300,000-350,000 tons in 1998 against
\nproduction of about 450,000 tons in a normal season.<\/p>\n
Production this year is likely to reach only 300,000 tons
\nafter rains and winds pounded the coffee trees last year.<\/p>\n
\"At best, the crop next year will be the same as this year,\" a
\ndealer said.<\/p>\n
Far East coffee dealers said robusta futures prices in London
\nwould probably be unchanged to $30 lower when the market opens
\nlater on Tuesday.<\/p>\n
LIFFE coffee futures sank more than 5 percent on Monday as the
\ntrade was hammered by heavy fund long liquidation and arbitrage
\nselling, dealers said.<\/p>\n
\"It's probably going to be unchanged to $30 lower,\" one dealer
\nsaid.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/ris-coffee-belt-still-parched-1447893297",
"image": ""
},
"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
"sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
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