Plague hits Indian coffee

Plague hits Indian coffee

BOMBAY (Reuter): Plague has cast a shadow over India's coffee exports at a crucial time when planters are hoping to secure total liberalization of coffee marketing and boost their overseas sales, growers and exporters said.

They said coffee shipments were held up after some countries banned imports from India soon after an outbreak of plague in the western Indian city of Surat.

Exporters say that shipments of around 20,000 tons of coffee - 8,000 tons on the high seas and the remainder in the pipeline - may face restrictions on arrival at foreign ports.

Fruit and vegetable exporters in Bombay said yesterday they had got clearance to resume exports to the Gulf, although cargoes would still have to be fumigated.

Exporters estimate the total shipments of coffee in the first six months of fiscal 1994/95 (April/March) at 95,000 tons against a target of 140,000 tons for the whole year.