By Roberto Samora
SAO PAULO, Aug 13 (Reuters) - Brazil's main coffee exporter
association Cecafe and a subsidiary of information management
firm Experian Plc next week a will launch system for
tracking and enforcing coffee sales, the group told Reuters on
Friday.
The move comes as strong price fluctuations for coffee have
led to fears that some producers might back out of forward sale
agreements, something that has happened in isolated cases with
other farm exports in Brazil https://www.reuters.com/business/energy/spies-satellites-subpoenas-soy-buyers-play-hardball-with-brazilian-farmers-2021-05-03.
The system Sao Paulo-based unit Serasa Experian has put into
place, which has not been previously reported, already has
buyers making up about 70% of the market onboard, Cecafe said.
Cecafe head Marcos Matos said that while there have not yet
been any cases of coffee sellers reneging on their contracts,
informal talk of that possibility has circulated among coffee
producers.
The new project involves creating a database of export
contracts allowing buyers to ensure that a given seller has not
already entered contracts precluding them from meeting their
obligations.
Similar systems have already been implemented by Serasa
Experian in Brazil's corn and soy markets.
(Reporting by Roberto Samora; Writing by Gram Slattery; Editing
by Cynthia Osterman)