New Delhi | Coffee shipments from India declined 5.4 per cent to 3.77 lakh tonne in 2023 due to a fall in the shipment of Robusta coffee, according to the official data.

The country had exported 3.98 lakh tonne of coffee in 2022.

India, Asia's third-largest producer and exporter, grows Arabica and Robusta variety 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 declined 15 per cent to 1.87 lakh tonne in 2023, from 2.20 lakh tonne in the previous year.

However, the shipment of Arabica coffee bean rose 5.79 per cent to 46,869 tonne in 2023 from 44,302 tonne in the previous year.

Even Instant Coffee exports rose 6.68 per cent to Rs 1.42 lakh tonne as against 1.33 lakh tonne in the said period, as per the data.

In terms of value, total coffee exports were at Rs 9,580.58 crore during 2023. The unit value realisation was Rs 2,54,104 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 tonne for the 2023-24 marketing year (October-September), higher than the actual output of 3,52,000 tonne in the previous year.