Considering that India has a significant interest in the export of coffee and that the country will benefit immensely from the membership of the International Coffee Agreement, India has decided to accept the International Coffee Agreement 2001. The extended International Coffee Agreement 1994, of which India is also a signatory, will expire on 30th September, 2001. With a view to strengthening the structure of the International Coffee Organisation to bring it more in line with the current needs of the world coffee economy, the International Coffee Council has approved the International Coffee Agreement 2001, which will enter into force on 1st October, 2001 for a period of six years until 30th September, 2007, unless extended or terminated. India has been a member of the International Coffee Organisation right from its inception. The government has been approving India's continued membership in the International Coffee Agreement from time to time. India's accession to the last International Coffee Agreement 1994, which was extended upto 30th September 2001 was approved in March 2000. On average, over 80 per cent of the coffee produced in India is exported. According to commodity wise data available for April-January 2000-2001, the value of coffee exported from the country during this period amounted to US$ 184.16m. Source: M2 PressWIRE
