Brazil Coffee Company to Plant 3.5 Million Robusta Coffee Bushes - Report (DJ)

Sao Paulo, May 5 - Brazilian green coffee exporter Atlantica intends to plant 3.5 million robusta coffee bushes in Minas Gerais state, reported local daily financial newspaper Valor Economico on Monday.

Our project is to plant from 800 to 1,000 hectares of robusta coffee," Valor reported Rogerio Schiavo, one of Atlantica's, owners as saying. Atlantica, which exported around 350,000 60-kilogram bags of green coffee last year, aims to ship between 400,000 and 450,000 bags in 2008, the report said. Although Brazil mainly produces the higher-quality arabica coffee, robusta coffee has been gaining popularity among Brazil's coffee producers for its higher profitability and lower production costs, Valor reported. Minas Gerais state is the leading arabica coffee producer while Brazil is the world's No. 1 coffee producer and exporter.