NEW YORK: Brazilian coffee farmers produced 67.9 million 60-kg bags of coffee in the 2020-21 crop (July-June), according to an attache report from the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) office in Sao Paulo, which kept its crop estimate unchanged.

The volume is a record, surpassing the previous high of 66.5 million bags produced in the 2018-19 season, according to USDA, who added that quality was also very good considering size of beans and taste for both robusta and arabica varieties.

The attache report put arabica production at 47.8 million bags, 5.8 million bags more than in the previous season, and robusta coffee output at 20.1 million bags, compared to 18.5 million bags in the previous crop.

USDA estimates that farmers sold around 70% of that large crop so far.

It projects 2020-21 Brazilian coffee exports (green beans) at 37 million bags, compared to 36.2 million bags reported by local exporters association Cecafe for 2019-20.

The report estimates that Brazil's local consumption will not grow in 2020-21, remaining at the same level seen in the previous year at 23.5 million bags.

Brazil is world's largest producer and exporter of coffee, as well as the second-largest consumer behind the United States.-Reuters