BOGOTA – Colombia’s coffee production maintains its growth trend as a result of ambitious programs that promote the renewal of coffee plantations and production reconversion developed by the Colombian Coffee Growers Federation (FNC) at the country level.
As a result, the registered coffee production in Colombia, the world’s largest producer of mild washed Arabica coffee, grew 18% over the past 12 months (November 2013 – October 2014), reaching 12.2 million 60-kilo bags, compared to the 10.3 million harvested in the same period of the previous year.
According to the observed figures, average productivity of Colombian coffee growing reached 15.2 60-kilo bags of green coffee per hectare, an indicator that ranks as the third highest of the past 14 years, after the 16.3 of 2007 and 15.3 of 2006.
“The work we have done in productivity is very significant. Unquestionably we have room to improve; however, in terms of productivity per hectare, we have already above many of the mild Arabica coffee producing countries,” Luis G. Muñoz, the FNC CEO, said.
“It should be remembered that during the last Niña event our average productivity fell to less than 11 bags per hectare and today the situation is quite different,” he added.
Also, between January and October of this year, coffee production exceeded 9.9 million 60-kg bags, compared to the 8.6 million harvested in the same period of the previous year.
Coffee production in October grew 4% and stood at 1.1 million 60-kg bags, compared to the one million bags produced in October 2013.
During the first ten months of the year, the value of the coffee harvest, including aid by the Government, reached 4.3 billion pesos (2.1 billion dollars).
Exports of Colombian coffee reach 10.9 million bags in twelve months
Similar to production, exports of Colombian coffee are also on the rise. In the last twelve months (November 2013 – October 2014), Colombia’s coffee exports exceeded 10.9 million 60-kilo bags, 20% higher than those recorded in the same period of the previous year, when they were 9.1 million bags.
From January to October 2014, sales abroad reached 8.9 million bags, a 17% increase from the 7.6 million bags exported in the same period of the previous year.
In October, Colombian coffee sales abroad were 966,000 60-kg bags, 10% more than the 877,000 bags exported in October 2013.
