India’s coffee exports registered a strong growth during the April-June quarter of the current financial year, with shipment volumes rising 28% on higher demand from traditional buyers in Europe despite logistics disruptions from the West Asian crisis, according to The Hindu BusinessLine.
Q1 Export Performance
Shipment volumes reached 1.3 lakh tonnes in Q1 FY27 (April-June 2026), up from 1.01 lakh tonnes in the corresponding quarter of the previous year. Export value in dollar terms increased 12% to $678 million from $603 million. In rupee terms, exports rose 24% to ₹6,412 crore against ₹5,162 crore in the year-ago period. However, the unit value realised by exporters was slightly lower at ₹4.91 lakh per tonne compared to ₹5.09 lakh per tonne, due to a fall in global prices, which was offset to an extent by a weaker rupee.
| Metric | Q1 FY27 | Q1 FY26 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Volume (lakh tonnes) | 1.30 | 1.01 | +28% |
| Value (USD million) | 678 | 603 | +12% |
| Value (INR crore) | 6,412 | 5,162 | +24% |
| Unit value (₹ lakh/tonne) | 4.91 | 5.09 | -4% |
Market Dynamics and Challenges
Ramesh Rajah, President of the Coffee Exporters Association, noted that the 28% growth surprised many. "But for the Iran crisis, we would have seen at least a 10% higher growth," he said. Rajah added that Indian prices were slightly lower, making them competitive in the European market, and attributed the growth partially to the good robusta crop. However, higher freight rates triggered by logistics disruptions from the West Asian crisis weighed on realisations, offset by a weaker rupee.
Praveen Kolimarla of Agrani Coffee and Commodities highlighted strong buyer interest due to good value for Indian coffee in the first quarter, especially for washed arabicas and robusta cherry. "The outlook for the remaining quarters looks positive and we may touch last year’s levels or exceed the exports as the pace is being maintained," he said. With heavy rains disrupting harvest in Brazil, demand for Indian robustas could increase further.
Key Exporters in First Half of 2026
For the first six months of calendar 2026 (January-June), exports were up 25% in volume at 2.55 lakh tonnes against 2.04 lakh tonnes a year earlier. In value terms, exports rose 13% to $1.3 billion from $1.15 billion. The top three exporters during this period were:
- Louis Dreyfus Company India Pvt Ltd – 24,351 tonnes
- CCL Products – 20,834 tonnes
- NKG India Coffee – 16,485 tonnes
Outlook
Rajah expects overall growth in quantity terms to remain good for the rest of the year, citing strong demand for robustas as shipments from Vietnam have slowed. The combination of competitive pricing, weaker rupee, and supply disruptions in Brazil and Vietnam positions Indian coffee for sustained export growth.
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