Coffee exports hit a billion dollars in one month for the first time

Rising coffee prices helped coffee exports reach $1.16 billion in March, up 72 percent year-on-year - a record high.

This is the data just announced by the Ministry of Agriculture and Environment. Accordingly, in the first 3 months of this year, the volume of exported coffee reached 509,500 tons, with an estimated value of about 2.88 billion USD, down 12.9% in volume but up sharply 49.5% in value compared to the same period in 2024.

Currently, the average export price in the first three months of the year is about 5,656 USD per ton, up 71.7% over the same period last year. Germany, Italy and Japan are the three largest coffee consuming markets of Vietnam, accounting for 16.2%, 9.9% and 7.4% market shares respectively.

Compared to the same period last year, the value of coffee exports in the first two months of this year to the German market increased by 79.3%, to Italy by 32% and to the Japanese market by 56%.

Among the 15 major markets, coffee exports increased the most in Poland with a 3.1-fold increase, while Indonesia was the only market with a decrease in export value (down 37.5%).

The price of Vietnamese green coffee beans is currently around VND132,300 per kilogram. On the London exchange, the price of Robusta coffee (the type of coffee grown mainly in Vietnam) is trading around USD5,269 per ton for May delivery, and USD5,295 per ton for July delivery.

According to the Vietnam Coffee and Cocoa Association, coffee output in the 2024-2025 crop year is expected to decrease by 5% compared to the previous crop year, down to about 27 million bags (60 kg bags).

The cause is the impact of climate change and the shrinking planting area. According to the National Center for Hydro-Meteorological Forecasting, in 2025, La Nina is forecast to replace El Nino, which is likely to cause frost, seriously affecting coffee production in Vietnam and Brazil. In early January, frost in Son La burned many coffee areas in Chieng Co, Chieng Den, and Hua La.

Coffee harvest in Gia Lai. Photo: Duc Hoa

Businesses are advising farmers to closely monitor weather conditions and prepare irrigation plans to minimize risks during the prolonged dry season. However, coffee prices will be under pressure to adjust in the coming time as newly harvested supplies are gradually released to the market and Brazil is about to enter its harvest season.

In addition, the world demand for coffee is showing signs of decreasing due to high prices. Businesses believe that Vietnam's coffee exports could reach more than 6 billion USD, even 7 billion USD by 2025 if there is an effective response strategy.

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