Coffee production in Colombia decreased by 13% in March compared to the same month of the previous year, according to the National Federation of Colombian Coffee Growers (FNC). Production for the third month of the year was 799,000 60-kilogram bags, compared to 914,000 bags produced in March 2022. The drop is attributed to the excess rainfall last year.
So far this year, production registered a 1% drop, going from 2.71 million bags produced in the same period of the previous year to 2.69 million bags in 2023. In addition, in the last 12 months the production decreased by 8%, from 12 million bags to 11.1 million.
Coffee exports also registered a 19% drop in March, with a total of 906,000 60-kilogram bags, compared to 1.1 million bags in the same month of the previous year. So far this year, exports have fallen by 15% and in the last 12 months, by 10%.
Colombia is the world‘s largest producer of mild washed Arabica coffee and, according to the FNC, the coffee industry is vital to the livelihood of some 560,000 peasant families in the country.
So far this coffee year (October 2022 – March 2023), coffee production in Colombia reached 5.6 million bags, which represents a 10% drop compared to 6.2 million bags in the same period. former. Foreign sales also decreased by 14% compared to the same previous period.
The decrease in coffee production in Colombia is a matter of concern for the country, since this is one of the main export products and an important source of income for the economy.