Jakarta, Feb 11 - Indonesia's coffee exports from the main coffee-growing area of Sumatra rose 5 percent in January from the same period a year ago, thanks to ample stock, trade data show on Wednesday.
Sumatra coffee bean exports rose to 14,657.84 tonnes in January, from 13,932.68 tonnes a year ago.
"It's carry-over stock from last year because the main harvest will not start until April," said Suherman Harsono, chairman of the Lampung chapter of the Indonesia Coffee Exporters Association.
But the main harvest this year may be slightly lower, Harsono said, as rains are expected to continue through February, which could affect the growth of the coffee cherries.
"They don't get sun every day. It's always cloudy. If rains and heavy winds continue, it could damage young coffee cherries," he said.
The main robusta harvest in Sumatra normally starts in March and peaks in August. Robusta accounts for 85 percent of Indonesia's coffee bean output, while aromatic, higher-value arabica makes up the rest.
Lampung, South Sumatra, and Bengkulu provinces are Indonesia's main coffee-growing areas and account for three-quarters of the country's coffee bean output. The beans are sold via Panjang port in Sumatra's Lampung.
Indonesia, the world's fourth-largest coffee producer, exported 437,000 tonnes in 2008, up from 321,404 tonnes in 2007 on a combination of higher coffee prices, a bumper harvest, and stock left over from 2007.
Following are details of Lampung's exports:
EXPORT 2009 2008 Pct chg
(tonnes) (tonnes) (y/y) ------------------------------------------------------------ January 14,657.84 13,932.68 5.20