Dreyfus sees Brazil adding 23 million bags of coffee to the market in 10 years

By Roberto Samora

CAMPINAS, Brazil, July 4 (Reuters) - Louis Dreyfus Company, one of the world's three largest coffee merchants, estimates that Brazil could add 23 million 60-kg bags to the market over the next 10 years, the firm's head of coffee research, Charles Chiapolino, said on Friday.

That would come after the South American country, the world's No.1 producer and exporter, increased output by 9 million bags in the last decade, he added during a presentation at the Coffee Dinner & Summit event.

Chiapolino noted that global demand for coffee remains resilient even after it hit record prices earlier this year. Brazil still faces some challenges to increase production, including logistics, he added.

In the face of climate change, he said that the solution for Brazil should be investing more in irrigation, as was done in Espirito Santo state, which faced a drought last year but did not report major problems.

"If you want to be resilient, you have to be prepared in terms of global warming," he said.