The total amount of coffee exported in the world fell 7.7% in December compared to the same month a year earlier to 9.81 million bags, mainly due to smaller shipments of the arabica type, the International Coffee Association (ICO) said on Thursday 2 February.
Details
In its monthly market report, the ICO said that exports of Brazilian Naturals (arabica coffee) fell 10.3% in December while shipments of Colombian Milds decreased by 7.5%. Arabica coffee is the milder type of the beverage preferred by high-end coffee chains such as Starbucks.
The report said that exports of robusta coffee, widely used to make instant coffee, rose to 4.25 million bags in December compared to 4.21 million bags a year earlier.
The ICO did not comment on the reasons for the movement, but analysts have noted gains in market share for robustas, which are cheaper than arabicas.
Popular Brands
Popular coffee brands tend to increase the amount of robusta that they blend with arabica when prices for the latest are high, such as currently.
Read More: Global Coffee Supply Nearly Balanced, Brazil Crop Up Slightly - Report
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