LONDON: The International Coffee Organization on Tuesday raised its estimate for 2016/17 world coffee production to a record high of 157.4 million 60kg bags, driven largely by an upward revision to arabica output in Mexico and Central America.

“The significant increase in production in Mexico and Central America is largely attributed to increased production in Honduras, the recovery from the coffee leaf rust outbreak in the region and beneficial weather,” the ICO said in a report.

The ICO had previously put the crop at 153.9 million bags.

Coffee production in Mexico and Central America was put at 20.3 million bags, compared with a previous estimate of 17.7 million and up 16.3 percent on the previous season.

Global arabica coffee production in 2016/17 was revised to 101.6 million bags, up from the previous forecast of 97.3 million and 14.7 percent higher than 2015/16.—Reuters