Vietnam Coffee Harvest May Drop 30% on Drought, Vicofa Says

The coffee harvest in Vietnam, the biggest grower of robusta beans used by Nestle SA in instant drinks, may decline for second year because of drought in the main growing regions, according to a producers’ group.

Output may drop 30 percent in 2013-2014, Luong Van Tu, chairman of the Vietnam Coffee & Cocoa Association, or Vicofa, said yesterday, without giving a specific forecast. Production fell 25 percent in 2012-2013 from 1.5 million tons a year earlier, he said. A Bloomberg survey published on March 7 estimated the 2012-2013 crop at 1.43 million tons.