Costa Rica Coffee Output 1.52 Million Bags, Up 5%

Costa Rica’s coffee production for the 2010-2011 season through March 7 was 1.52 million 60-kilogram bags, up 5% from the same period last season, the country’s coffee institute said in a report Monday. Coffee sales were 1.31 million bags, compared with 1.15 million bags in 2009-2010. Most of the coffee was sold for export with an average price per kilogram of $2.13, up from $1.54 last season. Domestic consumption for the period was 117,980 bags, up from 112,210 bags last season. The country is among those in Central America expected to provide relief amid tight global supplies and high international coffee prices. Costa Rican coffee officials expect the country to produce 1.57 million bags of coffee this season, up 8% from last season when the country produced 1.45 million bags. Last season, fungal diseases and bad weather caused production shortfalls. This season, high coffee prices have enabled producers to invest in improved agricultural practices such as good fertilizer that have increased yields, and weather has been relatively favorable.