Brazil exported 2.50 million 60-kg bags of green coffee in July down from 2.70 million a year ago and up from June shipments of 2.34 million bags, the coffee exporters association Cecafe said on Friday. Arabicas made up the bulk of the exports at 2.09 million bags last month, while robusta accounted for 404,489 bags, down 8 percent and 6 percent from a year ago, respectively, Cecafe said.
Brazil's coffee belt is still struggling to recover from a severe drought in early 2014 and a mild dry spell this January, which have crimped output of the world's largest supplier of the bean. Brazil's coffee council said on Friday it expects the 2015 coffee crop to be around 40 million bags, after a dry growing season led to smaller beans. The council, which represents producers, said that volume plus existing stocks would be enough to honor contracts for domestic consumption and exports, even though stocks are at a historic low after two years of drought in the world's largest coffee belt.