RI's coffee output down

RI's coffee output down

LONDON (Reuter): British trade house E D & F Man cut its estimate for Indonesia's 1995-1996 coffee crop to 6.2 million 60- kilo bags from a previous figure of 6.8 million but said preliminary expectations are for a crop of seven million in 1996- 1997.

"Exceptionally dry weather just before the flowerings...hit the 1995-1996 crop," Man said in a coffee market report.

It is estimated that the 1995-1996 crop, harvested from April onwards, was cut by around 600,000 bags, Man said.

But supply should increase rapidly after March as growing weather for the 1996-1997 crop is reported excellent, Man said.

"Preliminary expectations are for a crop of around seven million bags," said the Man report.