Kopi Robusta Indonesia Telat Panen, Importir Eropa Kelimpungan
Indonesian Coffee Trade to Focus on Niche Markets as Exports Slow
Editor : Ismail Gani
Translator : Novita Cahyadi
Minggu, 19 Juni 2016
Foto: istimewa

EKSPOR kopi robusta Indonesia diperkirakan akan melambat pada pekan-pekan mendatang karena persaingan ketat dengan kopi dari Vietnam, sehingga mendorong para eksportir fokus pada pasar domestik dan ceruk pasar khusus seperti Mesir.

Indonesia selama ini dikenal sebagai produsen kopi robusta ketiga di dunia setelah Vietnam dan Brasil.

Panen kopi robusta Indonesia terlambat satu bulan, yang tertunda akibat musim kemarau, dan petani lebih fokus pada penjualan domestik karena meningkatnya kebutuhan selama bulan puasa Ramadhan saat ini, kata sumber-sumber di kalangan eksportir kopi.

Mereka mengutip premi tunai dari kopi robusta kelas 2 di kisaran US$50 hingga September, dibandingkan dengan harga US$110-150 lebih untuk robusta kelas 4 Indonesia.

"Harga adalah masalah kedua (terkait ekspor Indonesia). Masalah pertama adalah tentang kepastian pasokan," kata Moelyono Soesilo, Direktur Pembelian dan Operasional di PT Taman Delta Indonesia, eksportir kopi yang berbasis di Jawa Tengah.

Keterlambatan panen menjadi kendala ekspor robusta Indonesia.

"Ekspor robusta Indonesia terlambat karena produksinya menurun akibat pola cuaca El Nino dan keterlambatan panen," kata Shweta Upadhyaya, pengamat komoditas pertanian di Agrimoney.

Panen raya, yang biasanya terjadi pada Mei-Juni, diperkirakan berlangsung pada Juli-Agustus tahun ini.

Fokus utama dari penjualan kopi robusta Indonesia saat ini untuk pasar domestik.

"Pasar dalam negeri di Indonesia sangat kuat dan hampir 50 persen dari tanaman dipertahankan dan dijual untuk pasar domestik," kata seorang importir di Eropa.

Indonesia mengekspor kopi ke negara-negara Asia lainnya, termasuk India dalam jumlah terbats, kata importir Eropa.

Meskipun menghadapi pesaing dari Vietnam, Indonesia diharapkan mempertahankan kapasitas ekspor ke pasar seperti Mesir yang pasarnya memang menyukai kopi robusta Indonesia, karena kualitas biji kopi lebih baik.

"Kalau Anda kepingin kopi dengan rasa tertentu, Anda tentu akan memilih apa yang Anda inginkan," kata pedagang Eropa, mengacu pada pasar Mesir untuk robusta Indonesia.

Harga yang lebih tinggi dari robusta Indonesia tidak akan mempengaruhi ekspor kopi Indonesia, kata Pranoto Soenarto, wakil ketua Asosiasi Eksportir dan Produsen Kopi Indonesia (AEKI).

"Tidak peduli berapa banyak produksi kopi Indonesia, pasar akan menyerapnya," katanya seperti dikutip Reuters yang dilansir MailOnline.


INDONESIA´S robusta coffee shipments are expected to remain slow in coming weeks due to fierce competition from Vietnamese supplies, prompting traders to focus on domestic and niche markets such as Egypt.

Indonesia is the world´s No. 3 robusta producer after Vietnam and Brazil.

The Indonesian robusta harvest started around a month late, delayed by dry weather, and farmers have focused mainly on domestic sales in time for the Muslim fasting month of Ramadan now under way, trade sources said.

They quoted cash premiums of grade 2 Vietnamese robusta at $50 over September futures, compared with $110-150 over for grade 4 Indonesian, 80 defects coffee.

"Price is the second problem (facing Indonesian exports). The first issue is about certainty of supply," said Moelyono Soesilo, purchasing and operational director at PT Taman Delta Indonesia, a coffee exporter based in Central Java.

The delay in harvesting has constrained Indonesian robusta export flows.

"Indonesian robusta exports are slow because of the weaker production due to the El Nino weather pattern and the late start of harvesting," said Shweta Upadhyaya, agricultural commodities analyst at Agrimoney.

The main harvest, which usually occurs in May-June, was expected to take place in July-August this year.

The main focus of sales was currently to the domestic market.

"The internal market in Indonesia is very strong and almost 50 percent of the crop is retained and roasted there," a European physical trader said.

Indonesia exports its coffee to other Asian countries, including India for the low grades, the European trader added.

Despite the competitiveness of Vietnamese supplies, Indonesia was expected to maintain strong sales to markets such as Egypt which have an established taste for its bigger, better quality beans.

"If you are used to a certain taste, you take what you prefer," the European trader said, referring to the Egyptian market for Indonesian robusta.

The higher price of Indonesian robusta would not hold back sales, said Pranoto Soenarto, vice-chairman of the Association of Indonesian Coffee Exporters and Producers (AICE).

"No matter how much coffee Indonesia produces, the market will absorb it," he said.
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