USDA Projects 14% Drop in 1986-87 World Coffee Crop

The world coffee crop for 1986-87 is forecast at 82.9 million bags, down 14% from last season’s revised production of 96.4 million bags, the Agriculture Department said Wednesday.

Brazil, the world’s largest producer, is expected to harvest 16.5 million bags, half of last year’s production, the department’s Foreign Agricultural Service said in its first global coffee forecast of the new season.

In a special report in February, the USDA also forecast Brazil’s crop at 16.5 million bags because of drought in major producing areas.

A bag of green, unroasted coffee weighs 60 kilograms, or about 132 pounds.

Overall, South American coffee production was indicated at 33.8 million bags, a drop of 16 million bags from 1985-86 and the smallest output since 1977-78. However, larger crops were forecast in Colombia, up 3% from last season’s 12 million bags, and in Ecuador, up 2% to a record crop of 2 million bags.

Production in North America, Central America and the Caribbean region was forecast at 17.1 million bags, up 12% from 1985-86. Mexico, the largest producer in the region, is expected to have a record crop of 4.7 million bags.

Coffee production in Africa was forecast to increase slightly from last year. Ivory Coast, the largest producer in the region, was forecast at 4.8 million bags, up 4% from last year.