MILAN – Coffee production in 2013 rose 41% on year to 10.9 million 60-kg bags, the National Federation of Coffee Growers, or FNC said Friday in a press release. This is the biggest jump in production since 2008. The harvest surge was a result of a plant renovation program aimed at increasing productivity and plant health in coffee production.
Likewise exports rose 35% over the previous period to 9.7 million bags reports the Federation.
In December, Colombia harvested 1.115 million bags, up 23% on year. Shipments abroad totalled 1.010million bags or a 28% increase compared to the same month in 2012.
The year 2013 “was certainly a period of great challenges for the coffee industry, but also of important achievements,” the country’s Caracol Radio reported in its website, quoting Federation ‘s general manager Luis Genaro Munoz as saying.
“Productivity recovery is undoubtedly the most significant, as the most productivity contributes to regaining competitiveness,” Munoz said.
“We expect the average productivity will continue to increase in 2014,which will help compensate in part for the uncertain outlook of international prices,” Munoz added.
In other news, coffee exports from Central America, Colombia, Peru and the Dominican Republic fell 8.1 percent in November compared to the equivalent month last year, Guatemala’s coffee association Anacafe reported on Monday.
Total shipments from the region for the month reached 1.87 million 60-kg bags, Anacafe said.
The figure excludes coffee exports from Mexico since the country’s coffee association AMECAFE has yet to publish November shipments.
