Economy & Business - September 2003

COFFEE: Brazil is likely to have a record coffee crop in 2004 of around 55m (60-kg) bags. The first report on the 2004 coffee crop, from the Brazilian agriculture ministry, reckons that it will beat the previous record, set in 2002, of 48.4m bags. The 2004 crop will be around half the likely world consumption of coffee. Brazilian exports will rise next year, probably to around 31m bags.