HANOI, April 27, 2011 - Farmers in Vietnam's Central Highlands have nearly finished their last phase of tree watering for the 2011/2012 harvest, while rains have started falling as the country transitions into the rainy season.
Following are some questions and answers on the current stage of coffee production in Vietnam, the world's second-largest grower after Brazil and the biggest exporter of robusta beans.
WHERE DOES VIETNAM'S COFFEE CROP STAND NOW?
Farmers will complete their last phase of tree watering soon as the rainy season returns to the coffee region slightly earlier than usual due to the impact of the La Nina weather phenomenon, a state forecaster has said.
Between February and April farmers usually water trees three to four times, each lasting about 20 days.
Vietnam's current coffee crop year lasts between October 2010 and September 2011, and production now is for the next 2011/2012 harvest that is due to start in October.
Around 90 percent of Vietnam's coffee output comes from the Central Highlands comprising five provinces, led by Daklak, Lam Dong and Gia Lai. Dak Nong and Kontum are the other two minor producers in the region.
The country now has 555,000 hectares (1.37 million acres) of coffee, the agriculture ministry said, up 1.3 percent from 2009.
WHAT CAN HURT THE NEXT CROP'S OUTPUT?
Weather changes could have a big impact on the next harvest, which is due to start in late October or early November in the Central Highlands.
Unseasonable rains may cause coffee flowers to drop, leading to lower output if the affected area is larger than the newly planted areas that become productive during the current cycle.
Showers have started falling since April 19 in the key growing provinces, causing flowers to drop or fail to form cherries at some farms, a dealer at a foreign trading firm said on Tuesday as he was touring the region to survey production.
But one trader in Daklak and another in Lam Dong told Reuters they have not seen, or come across reports, that trees were hurt by the recent rains.
Water shortages or outright drought could reduce cherry size or ruin the crop, but good coffee prices since 2010 have helped farmers invest more in fuel and fertiliser to ensure yields and the quality of beans.
HOW MUCH IS VIETNAM GOING TO PRODUCE IN THE 2011/2012 CROP?
Vietnam's new 2011/2012 coffee crop is forecast to produce 22 million bags, up 10 percent from the current crop after higher prices spurred investment, an analyst at CoffeeNetwork said on April 18.
Taking into account the recent rains, Vietnamese traders' views are more bearish than the CoffeeNetwork forecast. The trader doing the crop survey and the Lam Dong-based trader said output may drop, but they did not give any figures.
Vietnam's 2010/2011 coffee output rose 5.5 percent from the previous crop to 18.5 million bags, the International Coffee Organization said in its March report, while a Reuters poll on March 1 found output rose 2 percent to 19.75 million bags.
SOURCE : REUTERS
