Malawi expects a slump in coffee production this year because of late rains in most coffee growing areas across the country, a senior industry official has said.Peter Njikho, spokesman for the Malawi Coffee Association (MCA), said
coffee output was forecast to drop to 1,900 tonnes this season from
2,600 tonnes last year due to the late start of rains."
Most coffee growing areas received rains later than November and this has affected this year’s production," Njikho said.
Malawi’s rainy season runs from November to April.The MCA represents
both large and small holder coffee producers in the southern African
nation and does the sales and marketing of the crop on behalf of the
farmers.
Good international prices for coffee have buoyed output for the crop in the last few years.
Malawi earned $8.3 million from coffee sales last year, up from $4.9 million the previous year.
The country exports most of its coffee to Europe with the Netherlands and Germany being the main markets.â€â€Reuters
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