DUBAI – QAHWA WORLD
Coffee prices settled mixed on Wednesday, consolidating recent losses after a period of significant pressure. May Arabica coffee (KCK26) closed slightly lower at -0.65 (-0.23%), while May Robusta coffee (RMK26) rose +63 (+1.73%).
Arabica and robusta prices had tumbled earlier this month, with arabica reaching a 15-month low on Tuesday and robusta falling to a 6.5-month low on Monday, driven by expectations of a record Brazilian crop. Brazil’s crop forecasting agency, Conab, projected on February 5 that 2026 coffee production will rise +17.2% year-on-year to 66.2 million bags. Arabica production is expected to increase +23.2% to 44.1 million bags, while robusta will climb +6.3% to 22.1 million bags.
Wednesday’s losses were limited due to a stronger Brazilian real, which rose to a 1.75-year high against the U.S. dollar, discouraging export sales. Additionally, adequate rainfall in Brazil is supporting crop prospects. Somar Meteorologia reported that Minas Gerais, the country’s largest arabica-growing region, received 62.8 mm of rain during the week ending February 13, or 138% of the historical average.
Vietnam, the world’s largest robusta producer, is also influencing the market. January coffee exports surged 38.3% year-on-year to 198,000 metric tonnes, while total 2025 exports increased 17.5% to 1.58 million metric tonnes. Vietnam’s 2025/26 production is projected to rise 6% to a four-year high of 1.76 million metric tonnes (29.4 million bags).
ICE coffee inventories have shown signs of recovery, adding pressure to prices. Arabica stocks monitored by ICE rose to a 3.75-month high of 461,829 bags on January 7 after falling to a 1.75-year low in November. Similarly, ICE robusta inventories recovered to a 2.75-month high of 4,662 lots on January 26.
On the positive side, Brazil’s Trade Ministry reported that January exports fell -42.4% year-on-year to 141,000 metric tonnes, while lower supplies from Colombia, the world’s second-largest arabica producer, supported prices after January production dropped -34% to 893,000 bags.
Globally, the International Coffee Organization reported that total coffee exports for the current marketing year (October–September) declined slightly by -0.3% to 138.658 million bags. The USDA Foreign Agriculture Service projected in December that world coffee production in 2025/26 will reach a record 178.848 million bags, with arabica falling -4.7% to 95.515 million bags and robusta rising +10.9% to 83.333 million bags. Brazil’s production is expected to decline by 3.1% to 63 million bags, while Vietnam’s output will increase by 6.2% to 30.8 million bags. Ending stocks for 2025/26 are forecast to fall -5.4% to 20.148 million bags.
Overall, the coffee market faces mixed signals, with strong Brazilian supply forecasts and Vietnamese robusta exports exerting downward pressure, while lower production in Colombia and supply constraints in certain markets provide support for prices.
