May 20 (Reuters) - Coffee production in Indonesia, one of the five largest growers in the world, is estimated to rebound sharply in 2024/25 (April-March) from the poor crop in 2023/24, according to a U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) report.
The USDA projected the new crop in Indonesia to reach 10.9 million 60-kg bags compared to a downward revised production of only 7.65 million bags in 2023/24, which was the smallest crop in at least six years as the El Nino weather pattern negatively impacted coffee fields.
Most of the coffee produced in Indonesia is of the robusta variety, a type widely used to make instant coffee.
The El Nino-induced drought last season also impacted robusta production in Vietnam, sending global prices for that type of coffee to all-time highs.
The USDA expects a recovery on agricultural yields in the robusta coffee fields in Indonesia, as well as good yields in areas cultivating arabica coffee, a milder-tasting variety.
The USDA said, however, that the coffee harvest in Indonesia is likely to be delayed as plants took longer to recover from last season's dryness. It expects harvesting to pick up this month or in June, compared to the usual time of March or April.
Green coffee exports were projected at 6 million bags in 2024/25 versus 4.28 million bags in the previous crop. (Reporting by Marcelo Teixeira in New York; Editing by Will Dunham)
