Rains will be varied across Brazil's main coffee zones in the coming days following dry weather in many parts last week, private weather service Somar forecast on Monday. No rain fell in the last three days in the main coffee-producing state Minas Gerais, which produces half of Brazil's coffee, and it should stay dry until Wednesday when showers bring up to 20 millimeters (0.8 inches) of rain.
Espirito Santo, the only major coffee zone to receive rain in the last three days, will get around 8 mm rainfall over the next five days. But showers will be plentiful in Sao Paulo state, bringing about 70 mm rain. Parana and Rondonia states will be wettest this week with 70 mm and 87 mm rain, respectively. "A cold front will arrive from Tuesday, bringing showers back to coffee-producing areas, first in Parana and then in Sao Paulo and southern Minas Gerais on Wednesday," Somar stated in its daily coffee weather bulletin.
Total rainfall so far this month was well above the five-year average for April in most places. Brazilian coffee farms were stressed last year by dry weather, which led analysts to cut crop forecasts by 10 to 15 percent at the time. But trees recovered some of their productive potential after regular rains returned in October. In its extended 10-day forecast, Somar predicted the rain would be concentrated over the forested zone of Espirito Santo.
The crop is forming coffee fruit and beans. The fruit will begin to mature into coffee cherries in the coming weeks and months. Producers in Espirito Santo and Rondonia states have begun manual harvesting of robusta beans in a few areas, a month or two before the main arabica crop is gathered.
In its first 2008/09 (July/June) crop forecast on January 8, the government estimated the new crop at 41.3 million to 44.2 million 60-kg bags, up from 33.7 million bags in 2007/08. The government will revise its forecast on May 8. Helped by rains and good fertilising, coffee output should come in the high end of the range.
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