NAIROBI, April 13 (Reuters) - The top price of Kenya's
benchmark grade AA coffee COF-AA-KE dropped to $428 per 50-kg
bag at this week's sales from $434 per bag one weeks ago, the
Nairobi Coffee Exchange (NCE) said on Wednesday.

An official at NCE said the drop in prices was as a result
of poor quality compared to previous sales due to low production
in the current season.

AA's bottom price increased to $303 per bag from $300 per
bag, while its average price eased to $392.24 from $397.06 in
the previous sale.

AA peaked at a record $1,022 per bag in early February as
low volumes pushed prices up.

The NCE said its weekly sales would be suspended for two
months from April 19 -- nearly three months earlier than usual
-- due to low volumes and crop quality. [ID:nLDE72R1AG]

Kenya is a relatively small grower but its specialty beans
are famous for their high quality and are much sought after for
blending with those from other countries.

Grade AB COF-AB-KE fetched $424-$200 per bag from
$415-$295 in the previous auction.

A total of 12,359 bags were offered for sale, with 10,490
sold at an average of $300.16 per bag, fetching $3.87 million.

In the previous auction, 15,847 bags were offered for sale,
with 9,245 sold for an average of $244.10 a bag, yielding a
total $2.76 million.

Source: Reuters

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