Brazil's coffee exports could fall somewhat around mid-year due to an expected decline in stocks but overall exports in 2016 could be similar to 2015 if there is a strong harvest as expected, coffee export association Cecafe said on Tuesday. Brazil exported a record 33.33 million bags of green coffee in 2015, surpassing 32.94 million bags in 2014, Cecafe President.
Nelson Carvalhaes told reporters. Brazil's December exports were 2.89 million bags, down from 3.23 million bags in November. Including roasted and soluble coffees, exports reached a record total of 36.89 million bags last year. "It's too early to pin down 2016 exports but if the crop turns out well as expected, Brazil should repeat the levels seen in 2015," Carvalhaes said.
Brazil's coffee belt has suffered drought over the past two years, which has hurt both its arabica and robusta output. Despite the record overall exports, arabica shipments were actually down in 2015 at 29.16 million bags from 29.49 million bags in 2014. Record robusta exports of 4.17 million bags in 2015 filled the gap, pushing overall shipments to their highest levels. Brazil shipped 3.45 million bags of robusta beans in 2014, which was the previous record, Cecafe data showed. Some northern growing regions in Brazil's main robusta producing state of Espirito Santo were hurt by drought this season, but analysts expect a recovery in output from other growing areas to help offset this.