UPDATE 1-India Jan coffee exports up 28 pct at 10,668 T

MUMBAI, Feb 1 (Reuters) - India's coffee exports rose 28 percent in January as demand for the new season crop picked up, Coffee Board data showed on Monday.

Total exports were 10,668 tonnes during the first month of 2010 compared with 8,353 tonnes in the year-ago period.

The country produces only 4.5 percent of the world's coffee, but exports 70-80 percent of its output. Italy, Germany and Russia are the top three buyers of Indian coffee.

Total arabica exports in Jan stood at 5,416 tonnes and total robusta exports stood at 3,937 tonnes.

Arabica is mainly used in premium coffees, while robusta, which makes up 70 percent of the country's output, is typically blended with arabica beans for a lower-cost option for brewed coffee, or processed into instant coffee.

Instant coffee exports in Jan stood at 1,302 tonnes from 1,706 tonnes a year earlier.

Source name: Reuters India