SAN JOSE - Coffee exports from Costa Rica increased 17.1 percent in February over the same month last year, the country's national coffee institute said on Wednesday.
Coffee shipments from Costa Rica, one of Central America's smaller producers but known for its high quality beans, totaled 144,446 60-kg bags during the month, compared with 123,357 bags in February 2015, according to the institute known as ICAFE.
Shipments during the first five months of the current 2015/2016 harvest totaled 312,662 60-kg bags, down by 5.6 percent compared to the same five-month period during the previous 2014/2015 crop.
The coffee season in Central America and Mexico, which together produce about a fifth of the world's arabica beans, runs from October through September.