AEKI`s projections put coffee production at only 600,000 tons this year, down from 640,000 tons last year.Jakarta (ANTARA News) - The Association of Indonesian Coffee Exporters and Industries (AEKI) has predicted the country`s coffee exports in 2011 will reach only around 390,000 tons, down from last year`s figure.
AEKI general chairman Suyanto Husein said here on Friday the drop in exports is caused by declining production and increasing domestic consumption.
According to AEKI data, exports of coffee beans in 2010 reached 443,969 tons worth US$791.76 million.
AEKI`s projections put coffee production at only 600,000 tons this year, down from 640,000 tons last year.
Production will drop because weather conditions are not yet good according to forecast and because there are indications of a decline in production in several regions as many trees have been old while refurbishment has not been carried out much.
He said domestic coffee consumption that reached only 190,000 tons last year would increase to 210,000 tons in 2011.
"The trend in domestic coffee consumption is always up by around 20 percent a year but it is not always reflected in rising production of coffee beans," he said.
He said this happened because many people consumed coffee which is made in mixture with other beans.
"It is not pure coffee. Some mix it with corn," he said.
The AEKI deputy general chairman for coffee specialty and industry, Pranoto Soenarto, meanwhile said that the increasing coffee consumption did not only happen in the country but also in other countries.
He said this would push up the price of the world coffee because coffee production is fluctuative and dependant on climate.
"Therefore we will encourage plantation expansion to increase production," he said.
AEKI, he said, will cooperate with the ministries concerned to provide more land for coffee farmers so that in the next ten years coffee production could be increased to 900,000 to 1.2 million tons.
He however did not mention the additional land needed for increasing the production.
Right now, Suyanto, said coffee plantation areas across the country reached 1.2 million hectares and more than 90 percent of them are managed by farmers.
Indonesia has until now been recorded as the world`s third biggest coffee producer after Brazil and Vietnam.
Indonesia has also been known as producer of quality coffee such as Toraja coffee, Aceh coffee, Mandailing coffee and Luwak coffee.(*)
Editor: Heru Purwanto
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