Farmers in Vietnam, the world's largest robusta producer, held on to their beans because of falling prices in London, while Indonesian coffee changed hands at near-record premiums on lingering supply constraints, dealers said on Thursday.
Tight supply in second-largest robusta producer Indonesia also forced local roasters on Java island to buy more beans from Vietnam, with new deals struck at $40 to $50 premiums free-on-board. Premiums for grade 4, 80 defect beans from Indonesia's main growing island of Sumatra were offered at $525 a tonne to January contract, with deals struck at $500. Last week premiums revisited a record of $550 hit in August.