India's state-run Coffee Board on Friday cut the country's coffee output estimate to 315,500 tonnes for the crop year to September 2013, down 3 percent from an earlier projection, which could further dent exports. "The reasons for reduction in production estimates is attributed to the normal berry drop during the monsoon period and also due to black rot and stalk rot in certain high rainfall areas," the board said in a statement.

The south Asian country had produced 314,000 tonnes of coffee in 2011/12. India, the world's fifth biggest coffee producer, accounts for only 4.5 percent of the world's output, but exports 70-80 percent of its produce. Italy, Russia and Germany are the top three buyers of Indian coffee.

Copyright Reuters, 2012