Coffee arrivals at Ivory Coast's ports reached 85,055 tonnes between January 1 and March 18, according to data from the Coffee and Cocoa Bourse (BCC) obtained by Reuters on Friday. That compared with 84,491 tonnes delivered to the port during the same period of the 2005/06 season, the data showed.
The figures showed 9,879 tonnes of coffee arrived at ports from March 12 to 18, down from 12,127 tonnes in the same period of the previous season. The season officially opens in October each year but beans are sold between January and June. Average coffee production has been around 110,000 tonnes over the past four years, sharply down from around 250,000 tonnes before the outbreak of a brief civil war in 2002.
The West African country, the world's largest producer of cocoa, remains divided between a rebel-held north and government controlled south. A peace deal signed this month - the latest in a string of accords - foresees elections to reunify the former French colony organised within 10 months.