The coffee crop in Brazil, the world’s largest producer of the commodity, may reach a record next season on favorable climate conditions, according to weather forecaster Somar Meteorologia.

“The possibility of a record harvest next year is very big,” agronomist Marco Antonio dos Santos said in a report e- mailed yesterday. “Rains this year should return within the normal period, September.”

Production in the South American country will fall to 43.5 million bags in the current season, down from 48.1 million bags the previous crop year, as trees enter the lower-yielding half of a two-year cycle, the agriculture ministry estimates.

Dry weather this month will be good for the flowering period in the second half of September, he said.

There are no forecasts for rains in Sao Paulo and Minas Gerais, the largest arabica-producing state, and conditions should continue to favor the current season’s harvesting activities in the next few days, Somar said.

While the 2011-12 season starts in October in most countries, the crop in Brazil is already under way.

As much as 65 percent of this season’s crop has already been picked in Sao Paulo and Minas Gerais, while field works have covered more than 70 percent in Parana, Santos estimates.

The quality of the beans harvested is “very good,” while the size is slightly smaller in Sao Paulo and Minas Gerais, he said. This could result in lower productivity, as more beans will be needed to fill a 60-kilogram bag, he added.

To contact the reporter on this story: Isis Almeida in London at email hidden; JavaScript is required