Brazilian coffee growers expect a record harvest of some 58 million sacks despite the "economic and political chaos" afflicting the country, the head of the CECAFE exporters association said Thursday.

"We have both quality and productivity," Marcos Matos told EFE. "Also, Brazil's diversity caters to the world's most demanding markets in terms of quality and certification, which is a very positive sign for the next harvest."

However, CECAFE warned in a release that "the ongoing truckers' strike" - in its fourth consecutive day on Thursday - directly "impacts the (coffee growing) sector throughout the country."

"Our organization respects the rights of the (transport) sector," he said. "But it restates the importance of maintaining the coffee trade flow."

Despite this, Matos said that he is optimistic about the 2018-2019 harvest season forecast, pointing to climate stability, investment in technology and the improvement of the market as some of the main factors in ensuring the sector's recovery.

On the occasion of Brazil's World Coffee Day, Sao Paulo's Biological Institute opened to the public Latin America's largest urban coffee farm, known as "Cafezal Urbano."

Founded in 1950 in the heart of Sao Paulo, Brazil's largest city, the 10,000-square meter (107,640-square foot) urban plot houses some two million coffee plants and is used by researchers for carrying out studies on pest control, among other things.