Coffee shipments from India rose 13.35 per cent to 1,25,631 tonnes during January-March period of this year on higher demand for Robusta coffee, according to the official data.

The country had exported 1,10,830 tonnes of coffee in the same period in 2023.

India, Asia's third-largest producer and exporter, grows Arabica and Robusta varieties of coffee.

Arabica coffee bean has lesser caffeine content than the Robusta. Arabica has a sweet and smoother taste, while the Robusta is generally more bitter and harsher on the taste buds.

According to the Coffee Board of India's latest data, export of Robusta coffee bean rose by 18 per cent to 69,637 tonnes in the first quarter of the 2024 calendar year from 59,050 tonnes in the year-ago period.

However, the shipment of Arabica coffee bean declined to 13,419 tonnes from 15,468 tonnes in the said period.

Instant coffee exports rose 16,218 tonnes during January-March of this year as against 15,238 tonnes in the year-ago period, while re-export of coffee also increased to 26,239 tonnes from 20,952 tonnes in the said period.

In terms of value, total coffee exports were at Rs 3,644 crore during January-March of 2024, higher than Rs 2,604.44 crore achieved in the year-ago period. The unit value realisation was Rs 2,90,057 per tonne.

Italy, Russia, the UAE, Germany and Turkey are the major coffee export destinations for India.

In its post-blossom estimate, the board has projected the country's total coffee production at 3,74,200 tonnes for the 2023-24 marketing year (October-September), higher than the actual output of 3,52,000 tonnes in the previous year.

In the full 2023 calendar year, India's coffee exports had declined by 5.4 per cent to 3.77 lakh tonnes.