Tegucigalpa, June 30 - Honduran coffee exports have not been affected in any way after the coup that ousted leftist president Manuel Zelaya, the head of the country's coffee institute said on Tuesday.
Marcial Flores said in an interview that shipments were "normal" and that exports for the 2008/09 coffee year were on track to reach 3.22 million 60-kg bags by September, as previously forecast.
"The coffee export situation is normal. The big advantage is that the harvest has already concluded," Flores said in an interview with Reuters. Flores said approximately 80 percent of the planned exports had already been shipped.
The coffee institute represents the country's large producers whose members support the government that replaced Zelaya's leftist administration following his ouster.
Some smaller coffee producers have come out in favor of Zelaya returning to power.
Flores said the coffee institute had not changed its estimate for coffee exports in the 2009/10 cycle, which begins in October. The institute expects shipments of 3.45 million 60-kg bags next season.