ACPC cuts coffee exports

ACPC cuts coffee exports

LONDON (Reuters): Major coffee producers said they would cut
1998/99 (July/June) coffee exports to 52.13 million 60-kilo bags
from 52.75 million due to El Nino weather pattern and the
political uncertainty in Indonesia.

The Association of Coffee Producing Countries (ACPC) on
Tuesday also extended coffee export curbs to June 1999.

In a statement after its meeting in London ACPC said that as a
consequence of the El Nino weather pattern the Central American
members of the ACPC were reducing their exports volume by 620,000
bags to 8.3 million bags for 12 months to end-June 1999.

The ACPC also said Indonesia's 1998/99 export availability
would be down by as much as one million bags from the 5.85
million bags planned in 1997/98. They gave no reason for the
reduction.

The ACPC statement added: "Indonesia explained that it would
be difficult to make any commitments at the present time due to
the disturbed political and economic situation within the
country.