Thursday, Dec 22, 2011
(This story was originally published Wednesday.)
By Neena Rai
Of DOW JONES NEWSWIRES
LONDON (Dow Jones)--Middle Eastern and Central Asian coffee consumption in the 2011-12 crop year is likely to rise by a fifth on the 2009-10 season, the International Coffee Organization said Wednesday.
Consumption there is expected to hit around 5.1 million 60-kilogram bags, up 1 million bags on 2009-10, fuelled by higher disposable income and a growing trend toward western-style coffee culture, the ICO told Dow Jones Newswires.
"Coffee imports grew at a very high rate in the period in the Middle East during 2000-2009 at 7.6% per annum, but starting from a very low base. This trend is expected to continue," Jose Dauster Sette, head of operations at the London-based ICO said.
Armenia, Azerbaijan, Bahrain, Cyprus, Georgia, Iraq, Israel, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Palestinian Territory, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Syria, Turkey, the United Arab Emirates and Yemen will consume 5.1 million bags of coffee, but growth remains subject to factors such as the global economic crisis and political turbulence in the region, the ICO said.
"Obviously, the biggest question mark for 2012 will be what happens for Syria, but we do expect consumption in other countries to hold up well," the ICO said.
In 2009, the most important consuming countries by region are Saudi Arabia with 750,000 bags, Syria 680,000 bags, Turkey 520,000 bags and Israel 410,000 bags, according to data from the ICO.
-By Neena Rai, Dow Jones Newswires; 4420-7842-9450; neena.rai@dowjones.com.
(END) Dow Jones Newswires
22-12-11 0402GMT
