Jakarta, July 9 - Indonesia's coffee exports in the first half of 2009 were estimated at 207,600 tonnes, up about 19 percent from a year ago, trade data showed on Thursday, helped by good harvests.
In June alone, the world's second-biggest robusta producer exported 70,504 tonnes of beans, up 76 percent from a year ago, data obtained by Reuters showed.
"Farmers normally release their stocks if prices are good. I guess they had sold for June shipment in May or earlier before price falls," said a trader in Jakarta.
Robusta prices tumbled to their lowest in nearly three years in late June tracking falls in London robusta futures, prompting farmers to hold back stocks.
"The exports rise is a signal that demand remained strong despite of the global crisis, good news for countries like Indonesia which rely on exports of agriculture products," said Terbit Satrio, an official at the local chapter of the Indonesian Coffee Association in East Java.
Bean exports via East Java's main port of Tanjung Perak rose 53 percent in the first half to 33,228 tonnes, making it the second-biggest port for coffee exports after Panjang port in southern Sumatra province of Lampung.
Indonesia has estimated coffee output will grow 3 percent to 689,000 tonnes this year, with robusta accounting for about 80 percent.
Robusta mostly grows in Lampung, Bengkulu and South Sumatra provinces -- known as the coffee triangle -- at the southern end of Sumatra island. Arabica grows mostly in northern Sumatra.
Indonesia exported 437,000 tonnes of coffee beans in 2008, up from 321,404 tonnes in 2007, on a combination of higher coffee prices, bumper harvests and stocks left over from 2007.