India sees tea exports on target, coffee to exceed

India's tea exports are set to be on target in the year to March 2003, while coffee shipments would surpass the projection and hold steady at the previous year's level, officials said on Friday.

"We hope to achieve the tea export target of 196 million kg during this fiscal year," L V Saptarishi, additional secretary who supervises plantation exports in the commerce ministry, told reporters while on a visit to Bangalore.

India is the world's largest producer of tea. The state-run Tea Board had set a target of 200 million kg for calendar 2002, up from the 179.8 million kg actually exported in 2001. Full-year figures for 2002 are yet to be released.

"In the case of coffee, we had achieved 213,000 tonnes (in exports) last year, and we hope to achieve the same level this year despite the difficulties faced on account of a shortfall in crop production during this year," Saptarishi said.

The state-run Coffee Board had set the target for exports in 2002-03 at 205,000 tonnes.

In 20001-02, India exported 213,573 tonnes of coffee.

Last month, the Coffee Board cut its crop estimate for the current drought-hit crop year to September to 275,275 tonnes after a post-monsoon survey of plantations.

The figure was below an earlier estimate of 280,000 tonnes and 8.4 per cent below the previous year's crop of 300,600 tonnes.

India produces 4.5 per cent of the world's coffee and exports 70-80 per cent of its output.