São Paulo – Coffee exports from Brazil to the Arab countries in January and February 2020 were down 15.2% from the year-ago period. Shipped volume was 246,932 60-kg bags, with revenue down 20% to USD 27.9 million. Despite the results, the share of exports from Brazil taken in by Arab countries remained flat at 4%. The figures were made public this Tuesday (10) by the Brazilian Coffee Exporters Council (Cecafé).
Total exports from Brazil came out to 6.2 million bags, down 12.3%. Revenue slid 10.6% to USD 834.4 million, while average price per bag climbed 1.9% to USD 135.07.
Exports in February
Total coffee exports from Brazil in February alone were also down, by 24.3% year-on-year to 2.7 million bags – including raw, soluble, and ground and roast coffee. Revenue slid 23% to USD 361.4 million, with average price going up 1.8% to USD 133.59.
Cecafé chairman Nelson Carvalhaes said the fact that coffee is a biannual crop was a factor, since it means the crop currently on sale dates from a less productive year. “February coffee exports reflect the shorter month of the year, with less working days, as well as reduced availability. The 2019/2020 crop was smaller than the preceding one, and this led to weaker sales. It all leads us to believe we’ll see similar results up until June, when the off season ends and harvest of the new crop begins,” Carvalhaes was quoted in a press release as saying.
Arabica-type coffee accounted for 81.5% of total exports in February at 2.2 million bags shipped. Soluble coffee made up 10.4% at 281,000 bags. Robusta coffee answered to 8.1% of exports at 219,000 bags, up 3.3% year-on-year.
The biggest destinations for Brazilian coffee were the United States, Germany and Italy. Relevant markets whose imports went up the most were the Russian Federation and Sweden, up 28.2% and 28.6% year-on-year in January and February.
Translated by Gabriel Pomerancblum