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11th National Symposium on Coffee Agribusiness (Agrocafé), Brazil: The Executive Director, Mr Néstor Osorio, was invited to speak at the 11th Agrocafé symposium which took place in Salvador, Brazil from 8 - 10 March 2010, chaired by Mr João Lopes Araújo, President of Assocafé. The Governor of Bahia and the Secretaries of Agriculture of Bahia, Paraná, São Paulo, Minas Gerais and Espírito Santo were present at the Opening Session. In his presentation, Mr Osorio gave an overview of the world coffee market and analysed trends in world production and patterns of consumption in different markets, with emphasis on developments in producing countries and emerging markets. He also reported on the highlights and conclusions of the recent World Coffee Conference which took place in Guatemala from 26 to 28 February, and on the 104th Session of the International Coffee Council from 1 to 4 March. During his intervention, the Executive Director appealed to members of the Brazilian Parliament to ratify the 2007 Agreement, which has already been signed by the Government.
- The International Coffee Council met in Guatemala City from 2 to 4 March 2010, chaired by Mr Rodolfo Trampe of Mexico. More
- Ratification of the International Coffee Agreement 2007 – Uganda: The Hon Aggrey Henry Bagiire, Minister of State for Agriculture of Uganda, accompanied by Henry Ngabirano, Managing Director of the Uganda Coffee Development Authority, deposited an instrument of ratification on 1 March 2010.
Photo I Depositary notification
- The ICO World Coffee Conference 2010 took place in Guatemala from 26 to 28 February 2010, chaired by the President of Guatemala, H.E.
Mr.
Alvaro Colom Caballeros.
It brought together over 1,400 coffee growers and representatives from government, the private sector and international agencies from the 76 Member countries of the ICO.
The Conference was inaugurated by the President of Guatemala, with the participation of the President of Honduras, H.E.
Mr Porfirio Lobo. The President of El Salvador, H.E.
Mr Carlos Mauricio Funes, participated in the Closing Ceremony. Also in attendance at the Opening Ceremony were the Secretary-General of UNCTAD, the Managing Director of the Common Fund for Commodities, the President of Anacafe, the ICO Executive Director, the Chairman of the International Coffee Council and Ministers of Agriculture from ICO Member countries.
The main theme was “Coffee for the future: towards a sustainable coffee sector” and over 30 high-level speakers spoke on issues ranging from changes and trends in world supply and demand to environmental and social sustainability. The preliminary conclusions of the Conference were presented at the closing ceremony on 28 February 2010. The International Coffee Council will review the outcome of the Conference at its 104th Session from 1-4 March 2010.
- Coffee trade statistics: World coffee exports amounted to 7.2 million bags in January 2010, compared with 7.81 million in January 2009. Exports in the first 4 months of coffee year 2009/10 (Oct/09 to Jan/10) have decreased by 9.2% to 28.4 million bags compared to 31.3 million bags in the same period in the last coffee year. In the twelve months ending January 2010, exports of Arabica totalled 60 million bags compared to 63.4 million bags last year; whereas Robusta exports amounted to 34 million bags compared to 34.1 million bags. Coffee trade statistics January 2010
- 7th African Fine Coffee Conference and Exhibition: The Executive Director, Mr Néstor Osorio, was invited to speak at the 7th African Fine Coffee Conference and Exhibition which took place in Mombasa, Kenya from 11 to 13 February 2010. The event was organized by the Eastern African Fine Coffees Association (EAFCA) which represents the coffee sector in ten countries in the region and promotes the production, quality, consumption and trade of African fine coffees. In his presentation, Mr Osorio gave a review of the world coffee market situation and highlighted preparations for the ICO World Coffee Conference from 26-28 February 2010 in Guatemala.
- 2nd Moscow International Coffee Forum: The Executive Director, Mr Néstor Osorio, was invited to speak at the 2nd Moscow International Forum which took place on 8 February 2010 and was organized by ‘Coffee & Tea in Russia’ magazine, in collaboration with the Rusteacoffee Association. In his presentation, Mr Osorio gave an overview of the world coffee market and trends in world production and consumption and highlighted the relevance of the Forum to Russia which is a dynamic and growing market for coffee and among the top ten consuming countries in the world. Presentation
- Coffee market report from the Executive Director: The upward trend in coffee prices recorded in December2009 continued during the first fortnight of 2010, with the monthly average of the ICO composite indicator price in January rising to 126.85 US cents per lb compared to 124.96 US cents per lb in December 2009. The increase was particularly marked in the case of Colombian Milds, widening the differential with the average of the 2nd and 3rd positions on the New York futures market. During the last few months, the differential between prices of Arabicas and Robustas has widened significantly. Nonetheless, during the second half of January prices were subject to some downward corrections, partly as a consequence of the appreciation of the United States dollar. Coffee market report January 2010
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The Executive Director regrets to inform Members of the death of Mr Fernando Pérez-Barreiro on Monday 4 January 2010. Fernando worked with the ICO as a Spanish translator from 1968 onwards and will be greatly missed by his family and all of his colleagues at the ICO after his many years of loyal service to the world coffee community.
