India

Predictions of a record coffee crop in 2010 have taken a hit as rainfall variations have affected production, according to Ramesh Rajah, president of the Coffee Exporters Association of India.

He calculates that the crop may reach 280,000 tons, 8.6% less than the 306,300 tons estimated by the Coffee Board of India in June, which said that the 2009 crop is estimated at 262,300 tons.

"Production would have met the forecast had the monsoon been normal," Rajah was quoted as saying n the Indian press. "With the variation in monsoon we’ve seen in different growing areas, output will be certainly lower." The southern state of Kerala experienced heavier-than anticipated rainfall in July while Tamil Nadu’s rainfall was "inadequate" according to Rajah.