Although Kenya is a small coffee producer compared to producers such as Brazil and Vietnam, its speciality beans are much sought after for blending with those from other countries.

The NCE said in its weekly report that grade AA fetched $331-$188 per bag, compared with $325 to $273 last week.

Grade AB sold at $271-$185 per bag, compared with the previous sale's range of $230 to $178.

The exchange said 32,581 bags of coffee were offered for sale, with 19,500 sold for a total of $3.9 million, with an average of $166.37 per bag.

In its last auction on July 3, some 19,389 bags were offered for sale and 9,603 sold for a total of $2 million at an average price of $169.97 per bag.

The exchange is scheduled to be closed for a month from July 18 to Aug. 10 as the season comes to an end.